Australian Tour Starts This Thursday!
ARIA Hall of Fame inductees and Australian legends The Church make an epic return with retro-futuristic single The Hypnogogue. Capturing the band’s trademark psychedelia-tinged and dream pop sound, the new track transports listeners to another realm with a striking science fiction storyline and is the first taste from their 26th studio album, due for release early next year.
A cinematic blend of indie rock and shimmering textures, the mix was heightened by the renowned Darrell Thorpe (Radiohead, Air, Beck). Bassist, vocalist and founder Steve Kilbey dives into the track’s fictional themes; “’The Hypnogogue’ is set in 2054, a dystopian and broken down future. Invented by Sun Kim Jong, a North Korean scientist and occult dabbler, it is a machine and a process that pulls music straight of dreams.â€
Revolving around a protagonist, Steve says, “The song is about Eros Zeta the biggest rock star of 2054 who has traveled from his home in Antarctica (against his manager’s advice) to use the Hypnogogue to help him revive his flagging fortunes. In the midst of the toxic process, he also falls in love with Sun Kim and it all ends tragically (of course…as these thing often do).â€
Premiered on Brooklyn Vegan last night, the accompanying music video mirrors the lyrical narrative, brought to life with its rainy, fluorescent-hued visuals, reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner or Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys.
Directed by Australian filmmaker Clint Lewis, the clip captures the track’s futuristic essence. Steve says, “I gave the director a lot of input into this video but he took my ideas and ran with them and came up with a fair bit of stuff I never envisaged. The Church appear on screens in the Hypnogogue as workers in the system, translating the dreams of users into real time music. I’m very happy with the way it all turned out. It’d be hard to get a better result!â€
Their first national tour in over four years, The Church will be taking The Hypnogogue and their enormous and highly revered back catalogue to Perth, Margaret River, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in September. Offering an incredible 2 hour+ set, audiences can expect the classics including Under the Milky Way, Reptile and Almost With You, peppered with tastes from their forthcoming album.
Entering their fourth decade as a band, The Church continue to remain a treasured creative force. Wrapping up the finishing touches on their 26th album set for release in early 2023, The Hypnogogue is a thrilling preview of what’s to come.
The Hypnogogue is available now wherever you consume good music.
FOLLOW THE CHURCH
THE CHURCH
‘THE SLINGS AND ARROWS OF OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE’ TOUR
Thursday 1 September
Astor Theatre
Perth, WA
Friday 2 September
The River
Margaret River, WA
Sunday 4 September
The Gov
Adelaide, SA
Thursday 8 September
The Metro
Sydney, NSW
Friday 9 September – SOLD OUT
The Princess Theatre
Brisbane, QLD
Saturday 10 September
Northcote Theatre
Melbourne, VIC
Thanks to Morse Code PR
