''Soft Bomb'' is an album by

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

group

The Chills The Chills are a New Zealand rock band that formed in Dunedin in 1980. The band is essentially the continuing project of singer/songwriter Martin Phillipps, who is the group's sole constant member. For a time in the 1990s, the act was billed a ...

, released in 1992. It was the follow-up to ''

Submarine Bells ''Submarine Bells'' is an album by New Zealand group the Chills, released in 1990. This was the band's first album on a major label, as Martin Phillipps signed to Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Slash Records, to release the album in the U.S. The ...

'', which had hit number 1 in New Zealand in 1990. Released to good reviews, ''Soft Bomb'' was followed by a world tour with an enlarged Chills line-up. In the midst of their US tour, financial backing and promotion was withdrawn for the album and tour. This line-up of the band disintegrated and Martin Phillipps would take some time to rebuild the band. Phillipps parted company with

Slash Records Slash Records was an American record label originally specializing in local punk rock bands, active from 1978 to 2000. It was notable as one of the first and most successful independent record labels in alternative music, before its eventual ac ...

after this album and tour.

Background and production

The Chills released their second studio album ''

'' in 1990; it was well-received in Europe and was popular around colleges in the United States. Upon returning to their home country of New Zealand, the band went on a sold-out tour. Following this, keyboardist Andrew Todd and bassist

Justin Harwood Justin Harwood is a New Zealand bass guitarist, notable for his work with several indie rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s, The Chills, Luna, and Tuatara. He worked alongside New Zealand's Martin Phillipps (The Chills), Dean Wareham (Galaxie 5 ...

left, and Terry Moore, who had played with them in the early 1980s, returned on bass. Now a trio, the band started demoing material for the next release in July 1991.They then travelled to Burbank, California in the US to collaborate with producer Gavin MacKillop, known for his work with the Church and

Shriekback Shriekback are an English rock band formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and the League of Gentlemen (keyboards/synthesizers/vocals), and Dave Allen, formerly of Gang of Four (bass), with Carl Marsh, formerly of ...

Peter Holsapple Peter Livingston Holsapple (born February 19, 1956) is an American musician, who formed, along with Chris Stamey, the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongat ...

the dB's The dB's are an American alternative rock and power pop group, who formed in New York City in 1978 and first came to prominence in the early 1980s. Their debut album, ''Stands for Decibels'', is often acclaimed as one of the greatest "lost" powe ...

then joined the band on keyboards. Prior to anything being done, drummer James Stephenson quit, having homesickness and reportedly clashing with Holsapple. Mauro Ruby took on Stephenson's role; Lisa Mednick and Steven Schayer of Clay Idols joined on keyboards and backing vocals, respectively.

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various film and television soundtracks. He is best known for his 1967 album ''Song Cycle'' and for his collaborations with ...

contributed to the album, scoring "Water Wolves".

Release

"The Male Monster from the Id", the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

, became the most added song from the album at college radio stations in the US. By July 1992, Early Robertson joined on drums. 100 shows were planned to promote the album; early into the itinerary, after completed shows of New Zealand and Australia, the band felt that Robertson did not fit in. He was subsequently replaced by Craig Mason of Able Tasmans, who was already working with band as their

lighting engineer Architectural lighting design is a field of work or study that is concerned with the design of lighting systems within the built environment, both interior and exterior. It can include manipulation and design of both daylight and electr ...

. By the time the tour made it to the US, "Double Summer" was released as a single. Line-up issues were causing tension with the band, in addition to lower ticket sales than anticipated. Sometime around this, their label

withdrew further promotion in the US and the UK. In addition,

London Recordings London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

, who distributed Slash's releases in the UK, cancelled their support for the band's upcoming tour. In response, Phillipps promptly broke up the band after their final show in the US.

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote: "Strange and majestic, these songs are Mr. Phillipps's attempt to test and reshape the possibilities of pop." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' called it "a shimmering, buoyant pleasure." For author Dave Thompson, in his book ''Alternative Rock'' (2000), the bulk of his review was centered on "Song for Randy Newman Etc", while also highlighting "Water Wolves" and "Double Summer".

Track listing

All songs written by Martin Phillipps. #"The Male Monster from the Id" #"Background Affair" #"Ocean Ocean" #"Soft Bomb" #"there is no harm in trying" #"Strange Case" #"Soft Bomb II" #"So Long" #"Song for Randy Newman etc." #"Sleeping Giants" #"Double Summer" #"Sanctuary" #"Halo Fading" #"there is no point in trying" #"Entertainer" #"Water Wolves" #"Soft Bomb III"

References

External links

''Soft Bomb''
at

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(streamed copy where licensed) 1992 albums The Chills albums Slash Records albums {{1990s-alt-rock-album-stub