2000 Great Songs #1333: Familiarity Breeds Contempt

1990's Submarine Bells was probably the closest New Zealand indie band The Chills came to a mainstream-adjacent record. There were a few songs that approached radio-friendliness, like the perky "Tied Up In Chain" and the aptly-titled "Heavenly Pop Hit," but the one that grabbed me at the time was "Familiarity Breeds Contempt." It's the rare song from the often-melancholy act which flies off the rails at a frenzied pace (a sequel of sorts to "Look For The Good In Others..." from the prior LP, another personal favorite). There's some cool riffing and boundless energy, but without losing the slightly-psychedelic moodiness which set the band apart from some of their Flying Nun peers (and, indeed, it kinda reminds me of a post-punk version of a Moody Blues rocker).

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