“Wish I knew what you were looking for, Might have known what you would find.”
Those lyrics were written in my senior yearbook by my first love after a dramatic year of break ups and make ups. Well, Justin, I was looking for someone who would not cheat on me, but whatevs.
Now, those words could bring back bad memories of idiotic teenage drama, but honestly, they remind me how much I loved the music of my high school days. SoCal Gen X lived in the best of times with KROQ giving us Depeche Mode, Oingo Boingo, The Cure, The Smiths, U2, and the originators of the above lyrics, The Church.
The Australian band’s smash, “Under the Milky Way,” has remained a staple of ‘80s stations and playlists ever since, but we don’t have to live in the past when it comes to The Church. Last week saw the release of their new album, “The Hypnogogue,” and next week they will embark on a North American tour.
The new album offers a “retro-futuristic, dystopian narrative that revolves around a fictional machine (the “Hypnogogue”) that extracts music directly from subconscious dreams.”
Ahead of the album’s release, The Church dropped three singles – “The Hypnogogue,” “C’est La Vie,” and “No Other You” – with characters and the story of the machine. “The Hypnogogue” introduces Sun Kim Jong and her love interest/rock star Eros Zeta; “C’est La Vie” is a cautionary tale not to mess with the Hypnogogue; and “No Other You” continues the story on a more personal level.
Church front-man/bassist/founder Steve Kilbey explained “No Other You” is an “ultra-romantic song that Zeta writes for Sun Kim Jong, who is the inventor of The Hypnogogue. It’s a heartfelt song about an irreplaceable woman. And the Church gets to explore a slightly glam rock feel to boot.”
Kilbey goes on to say, “We’ve also never had a concept album before. 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.”
Since forming in 1980, the Aussies have released an incredible catalogue of material. In addition to the monster hit that is “Under the Milky Way,” they’ve also given us “Reptile,” “Metropolis,” “The Unguarded Moment,” and “Almost With You.”
Joining Kilbey are long-time collaborator Tim Powles (drums/vocals/guitar), Ian Haug (guitar), Jeffrey Cain (guitar/keys/bass), and Ashley Naylor (guitar). Their performance at last year’s Cruel World also reminded us just how amazing they are as performers and we can’t wait to see them again.
The tour kicks off March 11th in Los Angeles at The Belasco, stops in San Diego March 12th at Belly Up, travels the US, and then concludes near Nashville in April (OC Music News will cover the closing night for you!).
Pick up the new album and some concert tickets and go worship The Church tonight! Maybe you will find what you were looking for…
