The Church Announce First Album In Six Years

The Church will return with their 26th album, The Hypnogogue, on Friday, 24 February 2023. The Hypnogogue is the iconic Aussie group's first album since 2017's man woman life death infinity.

The news arrives with a hypnotic new single, C'est La Vie, which unveils an atmospheric blend of indie rock and post-punk layered alongside euphoric guitar tones and melancholy undercurrents. So, it's The Church at their best.

The band's vocalist, bassist, and co-founder, Steve Kilbey, said about the album: "The Hypnogogue is the most prog rock thing we have ever done. We've never created a concept album before."

He added, "It is the most teamwork record we have ever had. Everyone in the band is so justifiably proud of this record, and everyone helped to make sure it was as good as it could be. Personally, I think it's in our top three records."

The album's mysterious title track was released earlier this year and set the stage for a spooky science-fiction narrative. Kilbey noted, "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 out of dreams."

Kilbey Kennedy, aka Steve Kilbey of The Church and Martin Kennedy of All India Radio, released their sixth album, The Strange Life Of Persephone Nimbus, this year. 

Described the story surrounding The Strange Life Of Persephone Nimbus, a follow-up to their acclaimed album Jupiter 13, Kilbey said: “Persephone Nimbus was just an ordinary woman living an ordinary life, with a promising job at Eternity Incorporated. Until one day, she was kidnapped by the Plutocracy. 

“There she reigned for six months of the year, a sad, cold queen of the dark webbed world. But for six months of the year, she was allowed to ascend to the Overworld with its marvellous technological illusions and its towers that pierced the very sky. But on the first day of every autumn, she must take the long staircase back down, down into the Plutocracy, with their frozen lakes and above them, a sky of iron.”

The Strange Life Of Persephone Nimbus is out now via Foghorn Records.

The Church are one of Australia's most beloved rock bands, with an expansive music career that includes the hits Under The Milky Way, The Unguarded Moment, Reptile, and Almost With You.

The band's current lineup comprises Kilbey, long-time collaborator, drummer and producer Tim Powles, guitarist Ian Haug (formerly of Powderfinger), multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Cain and new member Ashley Naylor - of Australia’s finest guitarists and member of Paul Kelly’s touring band.  

Listen to C'est La Vie below.