North American Tour Starts in March
Today marks the release of THE HYPNOGOGUE via Communicating Vessels, the 26th album by psych rock masters, THE CHURCH, providing a much needed shimmery blast of post-punk dream pop. Loaded with “jingle jangle guitars and mountainous melodies – psychedelic and grandiose, cinematic and poised” (Backseat Mafia) which “carries on mesmerizingly and you enjoy the ride, losing track of time much as you would while dozing off to sleep” (The Big Takeover), The Hypnogogue is a visionary album with a narrative thread – a first for the band who is entering their fifth decade of making music with all the fierce creative energy of their early years.
The three released singles off of the album – “The Hypnogogue,” “C’est La Vie,” and “No Other You” – have propelled the band forward, launching them into a new era. “We’ve also never had a concept album before,” says vocalist/bassist/founder STEVE KILBEY. “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.”
Reading like a short story from visionary science fiction author Philip K. Dick (“A Scanner Darkly,” “Electric Dreams”), The Hypnogogue is a retro-futuristic, dystopian narrative that revolves around a fictional machine (the “Hypnogogue”) that extracts music directly from subconscious dreams.
Playing live shows with all the fierce creative energy of their early years, The Church will be setting off on a North American tour kicking off on March 11th in Los Angeles and circles the States, concluding on April 8th in Pelham, TN (tour dates below).
Starting out in 1980, The Church has continued to expand their atmospheric blend of indie rock, shimmering post-punk, icy dreampop and psychedelic post-rock without any retread. Their expansive music career yielded a string of hit songs including “Under the Milky Way,” “Reptile,” “The Unguarded Moment” and “Almost With You” amongst others and their equally stellar live shows have been deemed “spectacular” by MAGNET Magazine, citing their “dreamy psychedelia that will daub your evening with shades of paisley.” Their most recent U.S. performance at 2022’s Cruel World Festival alongside Blondie, Bauhaus and Morrissey was heralded as “a subtle delight… that captivated the late afternoon audience” (Orange County Register), “providing the perfect soundtrack” (Rock Cellar Magazine).
The 2022 epic five-piece line-up is bassist, vocalist and founder Steve Kilbey; with long-time collaborator Tim Powles, drummer and producer across 17 albums since ’94; guitarist Ian Haug formerly of Australian rock icons Powderfinger, who joined the band in 2013 and Jeffrey Cain (Remy Zero), touring multi-instrumentalist who is now a full-time member of The Church since the departure of Peter Koppes in early 2020. The band have also recruited Ashley Naylor, long-time member of Paul Kelly’s touring band and one of Australia’s finest and most respected guitarists (Even, The Grapes, The Stems).
TOUR DATES
Mar 11 Los Angeles, CA — The Belasco
Mar 12 Solana Beach, CA — Belly Up Tavern
Mar 14 San Francisco, CA — Great American Music Hall
Mar 16 Portland, OR — Aladdin Theater
Mar 17 Tacoma, WA — Elks Temple Ballroom
Mar 21 Englewood, CO — Gothic Theater
Mar 23 Minneapolis, MN — Fine Line Music Hall
Mar 25 St Louis, MO — Delmar Hall
Mar 26 Chicago, IL — Thalia Hall
Mar 28 Kent, OH — Kent Stage
Mar 29 Philadelphia, PA — Theatre of Living Arts
Mar 30 New York, NY — Gramercy Theater
Mar 31 Boston, MA — The Sinclair
Apr 1 Hartford, CT — Infinity Hall
Apr 3 Asbury Park, NJ — Asbury Lanes
Apr 4 Alexandria, VA — Birchmere Music Hall
Apr 5 Norfolk VA — The Norva
Apr 6 Carrboro, NC — Cat’s Cradle
Apr 7 Asheville, NC — The Grey Eagle
Apr 8 Pelham, TN — The Caverns
