Image from an advertisement by the Onehunga Company, c. 1930
By the time the Chills released their third single "Doldrums" in 1984, the New Zealand pop band had already been through seven lineup changes, including losing drummer Martyn Bull to leukemia. And they were still three years away from recording and releasing their first full-length album. The struggles the Chills went through create a funny counter-current to their whimsical pop style, adding a weird energy to the band's early singles.
"Doledrums" is a song that illustrates this contrast well. The song starts with a goofy approximation of clock chimes and an insistent keyboard riff, but the song's melody and lyrics are decidedly downcast. Martin Phillips sings about being young and unemployed, punctuating his ennui with lines like, "The face in the mirror looks withered and old/my skin is gray - I can't go out - I'm always cold". The chorus melody would be downright funereal if not for Martin Kean's backing vocals, which give the refrain a hymn-like feel instead. Toward the end of the song, the moment when the dole check comes in the mail is represented by an uptick in the song's energy as Phillips sings, "The benefits arrive and life goes on!" He doesn't really sound happy, though, letting the listener know that this moment of relief is just part of the "doledrums" cycle he's stuck in.
"Doledrums" by the Chills
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