Oh, the quandary of covering a cult classic. Stay true to the original and you’re accused of playing it safe. Take liberties with the arrangement and an army of indie elitists will ensure you never play in their town again. Thankfully, Brisbane’s I Heart Hiroshima don’t go all Nouvelle Vague on us with The Chills’ ‘Pink Frost’ – New Zealand’s equivalent of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'/'Teenage Riot'/'Berlin Chair'/'Havana Gila' – but they don’t exactly take the song to new heights either.

Released through iTunes, the track is essentially a sped-up, trimmed-down version of Martin Phillipps’ eerie masterpiece with boy-girl harmonies, palm-muted guitars, affected vocals and little appreciation of the dynamics that made the original so devastating. Put simply, it’s homage. But if their intent was to introduce a new generation to the music of Phillipps and The Chills, then an exercise like this should properly be celebrated.

by Darren Levin