R.I.P. Martin Phillips, founder of New Zealand indie icons The Chills

Martin Phillips, frontman and founder of New Zealand indie rock group The Chills, has died. The group shared the news via their official social media channels, in a post that reads, “It is with broken hearts the family and friend of Martin Phillipps wish to advise Martin has died unexpectedly. The family ask for privacy at this time.” Phillipps was 61.

A cause of death hasn’t been revealed, but Phillips battled liver failure after contracting hepatitis C in the 1990s, as revealed in the 2019 documentary The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps. He also battled liver disease for years after that.

The Chills were a huge influence on New Zealand indie music’s famed “Dunedin sound,” as part of the Flying Nun Records roster, and were more broadly a huge influence on indie music worldwide, including bands such as Pavement and Yo La Tengo.

Phillips formed The Chills in 1980 in Dunedin, New Zealand at just 17 years old. The band’s lineup shifted many times throughout their career, and included at various times musicians such as The dB’s Peter Holsapple, The Clean’s Peter Gutteridge, Luna’s Justin Harwood, and more. The group released seven studio albums throughout their career, including their acclaimed records Brave Words and Submarine Bells. The latter was their first major label album, released on Slash in 1990, after the group’s early singles like “Pink Frost” began attracting attention of bigger labels. That album also yielded “Heavenly Pop Hit,” which was a college radio hit for the group.

The group disbanded in 1992 and reformed as Martin Phillips and the Chills in 1996, before splitting up again for another 19 years. Phillips released Sketch Book: Volume One in 1999, and revamped The Chills again in the 2010s, releasing three more albums. Their last record was 2021’s Scatterbrain.