Pink Frost
"Pink Frost" is a song by New Zealand band The Chills.[1] The song was originally recorded in 1982.[2] It was released as a single in 1984.[3] Its B-side was the instrumental track "Purple Girl". It reached number 17 on the New Zealand singles chart.
| "Pink Frost" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Chills | ||||
| from the album Kaleidoscope World | ||||
| B-side | "Purple Girl" | |||
| Released | June 1984 | |||
| Recorded | May 29, 1982 | |||
| Studio | The Lab, Auckland | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:59 | |||
| Label | Flying Nun | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Martin Phillipps | |||
| The Chills singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Pink Frost" on YouTube | ||||
The song was written by lead singer/guitarist Martin Phillipps, and features a line-up of Phillipps, Terry Moore (bass, backing vocals, percussion), and Martyn Bull (drums, percussion). The song was recorded on 29 May 1982 at The Lab Studios in Auckland and mixed in January 1984 at Auckland's Progressive Studios by Terry King, Doug Hood, Chris Knox, and band members Moore and Phillipps. It was released in June 1984.[4] Owing to the length of time taken to release the track, it was a posthumous release for Bull, who had died of leukaemia during 1983. All of the proceeds made from the single's sales were donated to Cancer Research.
The song was initially released as a single only, but was later part of the 1986 compilation album Kaleidoscope World. It had previously been released in 1985 as a track on the Flying Nun compilation Tuatara (album). A video to accompany the single was filmed in and around Sandymount and Taiaroa Head on Otago Peninsula.
The song is often regarded as one of the key songs in the Dunedin sound style[5] and features a solid drum rhythm over which bass and a high guitar form complementary lead lines. Phillipps' vocals — telling a gothic tale of a lover accidentally killing his partner in his sleep — float above this rolling string pattern.
Covers
- Los Angeles band Babyland recorded the song and released in on their 1994 album A Total Letdown
- Joel RL Phelps and the Downer Trio covered it on their album Tradition in 2004.[6]
References
- Hann, Michael (24 November 2014). "The Chills: the band who fell to earth". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- Hart, Otis (24 June 2014). "A 'Pink Frost' Remake Heralds The Return Of The Chills". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- Kara, Scott (6 June 2009). "Song that gave us the chills". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- Liner notes from Kaleidoscope World
- "Dunedin Music Video Special: Part 2 - The Chills 'Pink Frost'," dunedinusic.com, 30 April 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- "Tradition, by Joel R.L. Phelps & The Downer Trio". Bandcamp: Joel R.L. Phelps & The Downer Trio. 29 August 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2019.