If this world was made for me
We would unlock minds and set them free
And we’d all try hard to keep things real
Like open our hearts and say exactly how we feel

Most songwriters probably shouldn’t revisit and then freshly record their early cast-offs. But then, most songwriters aren’t Martin Philllipps.

When Phillipps passed away this summer, he left a legacy of incredible songwriting and exquisite pop-music craftsmanship. As the creative force behind New Zealand band the Chills, Phillips made chiming, charming sounds that were delivered with deceptive ease. His life was partially defined by the troubles he endured, including addiction issues, but in any assessment of his time on Earth, Phillipps’s talent prevailed.

Phillipps seemed to understand the value of his inspiration as well as anyone. A portion of his final months was spent revisiting early creative efforts, taking songs that weren’t fully realized and guiding them to a final finished state. Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs is a result of those efforts, and it will likely stand as the final statement of Phillipps. “The album’s first single is “If the World “If the World Was Made for Me” is the album’s first single, and it’s a proper elegy: warm, glimmering, hopeful, wise, and, Phillipp’s most formidable specialty, insistently catchy. It’s a song with a gentle soul.

Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs is scheduled for release in February.