Tag: dream pop

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Swirlpool Shares woozy “Evergreen”

Formed back in 2016, the German-based dream pop/shoegaze outfit Swirlpool — Thomas A. Fischer, Markus Kraus and Chris Atzinger — have remained loyal to the “sounds better with reverb and distortion” maxim, and as a result they’ve managed to win over a loyal fanbase within the global dream pop and shoegaze scenes. 

The German dream pop/shoegaze outfit’s highly anticipated full-length debut, Distant Echoes features material inspired by titans like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive while breathing fresh life into the genre’s beloved sound and approach.

Earlier this month, I wrote about Distant Echoes album single “Reimagine,” a classic era shoegaze-inspired track built around dense and towering layers of reverb and distortion-laden guitars, thunderous drumming and ethereal, yearning vocals paired with enormous hooks and choruses.  “The single was one of the first ideas Tom came up with on rhythm guitar,” the members of the German band explain. “The lyrics deal with our sometimes too perfectionistic songwriting process, where we would spend days writing new interesting parts and sometimes just get stuck in a loop. It is about the agony of slow change and the need for re-invention.”

Distant Echoes‘ second and latest single, the woozy “Evergreen” features ethereal vocals floating over strummed guitars, painterly swirls of howling feedback that ends with a gorgeous, acoustic guitar-driven coda. Much like its predecessor, “Evergreen” brings memories of Slowdive, RIDE, and My Bloody Valentine to mind, fueled with a bittersweet sense of nostalgia.

“‘Evergreen’ is all about the moment,” the German shoegazers explain. “Brief seconds that feel like an eternity. The beauty of a memory that stays with you forever. We personally like to listen to albums from start to finish. It captures a time in your life forever, with all its ups and downs. A world you can immerse yourself in.”

Directed by Daniel Dueckminor, the accompanying video continues a run of 120 Minutes-era MTV-like visuals shot on what appears to be Super 8: The video follows the band walking around the wintry German countryside, and playing their instruments in the forest with psychedelic scenes behind them.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Still Corners Share PBS “Masterpiece Theatre”-like Visual for Lush “The Dream”

Throughout their nearly two-decade career, acclaimed JOVM mainstays Still Corners — vocalist and keyboardist Tessa Murray and multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter Greg Hughes — have managed to bounce between chilly and atmospheric pop and shimmering guitar-driven, desert noir through five albums: 2012’s Creatures of an Hour, 2013’s Strange Pleasures, 2016’s Dead Blue, 2018’s Slow Air and 2020’s The Last Exit. 

The JOVM mainstays’ long-awaited sixth full-length album Dream Talk is slated for an April 5, 2024 release through the band’s own label, Wrecking Light Records. The album’s material was written in Southern France, East Sussex, UK and Woodstock. “The songs came together quickly and being able to write from anywhere kept up our momentum,” Still Corners’ Tessa Murray says. 

Produced by the band’s Greg Hughes at their Woodstock-based studio, Hughes says, “We tried various things like different mics, amps and effects before committing to anything. Everything was mixed analog through our new SSL console, there’s a gleam to the sound”

Dream Talk features ten carefully-crafted songs that sees the acclaim duo further mastering a sound and body of work that is focused, stylish and incredibly seductive. “The genesis for a lot of these songs came from dreams. Every night I would write down the dreams I could remember,” Still Corners’ Murray says. “While recording I would pull out my book of dreams and sing over various looped phrases Greg had been working on. The repetitive nature of the looping and singing almost felt like going into a trance. A lot of the songs came from that process, it was fun and what I thought were sort of ramblings ended up surprising us with their various meanings and imagery.”

Late last year, I wrote about Dream Talk‘s first single “Secret World,” which pairs Murray’s imitable smoky croon with a shimmering and looping Western-tinged guitar line, twinkling and atmospheric synths and a gently driving rhythm. “Secret World,” continues a remarkable run of dreamy yet alluring material with a hint of danger — like the mythical sirens on the rocky shore seducing sailors to their eventual watery doom. Thematically, the song ruminates upon the perils of obsession. “Sometimes the thought of someone, wanting to know them, get into their world is dangerous,” Tessa Murray explains. “The real person doesn’t matter anymore, just the fantasy of them, which is totally wrong but feels right.”

Built around a shimmering and reverb-drenched guitar line that would make Johnny Marr proud paired, Dream Talk‘s second and latest single “The Dream” features a quick-paced rhythm, train-like rhythm, atmospheric synths and shakers serving as a lush bed for Murray’s smoky croon describing riding on a speeding train at night and a classically epic tale of being within “a dream within a dream,” before ending with a breathtaking guitar solo. “The Dream” is classic Still Corners — shimmering yet broodingly noir-ish, and always cinematic.

Thematically, the new single is inspired by and indebted to a quote from Shakespeare: “Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream.”

If the accompanying video reminds you of PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre and its spin-off Mystery!, well that was on purpose! Filmed by the band in the English countryside, the accompanying video for “The Dream” is inspired by and based on the duo’s deep and abiding love of mystery novels and cozy crime fiction. Murray plays a detective called Penelope Braithwaite, who’s called in to investigate the “Mystery of the Repeating Dream.” As the story goes, people from the fictitious town of Reverwood, Sussex have been falling into a repeating dream trap, in which when they wake up, they realize that they are in fact, in the same dream.

Eventually, our protagonist take the train to Reverwood and arrives at a mysterious and all-too English mansion set on a vast garden, where she begins to investigate the case. Does she solve the mystery? Or does she, like everyone in Reverwood get stuck in an endlessly looping dream?

The JOVM mainstays will be supporting Dream Talk with an extensive our throughout 2024 that includes an April 17, 2024 stop at Elsewhere, as well as stops in in Mexico City, the UK and the European Union. As always, tour dates are below. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Germany’s Swirlpool Shares Stormy “Reimagine”

Formed back in 2016, the German-based dream pop/shoegaze outfit Swirlpool — Thomas A. Fischer, Markus Kraus and Chris Atzinger — have remained loyal to the “sounds better with reverb and distortion” maxim, and as a result they’ve managed to win over a loyal fanbase within the global dream pop and shoegaze scenes.

The German dream pop/shoegaze outfit’s highly anticipated full-length debut, Distant Echoes features material inspired by titans like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive while breathing fresh life into the genre.

Distant Echoes‘ first single “Reimagine” is a classic era shoegaze-inspired track built around dense and towering layers of reverb and distortion-laden guitars, thunderous drumming, ethereal and yearning vocals paired with an enormous hooks and choruses. “The single was one of the first ideas Tom came up with on rhythm guitar,” the members of the German band explain. “The lyrics deal with our sometimes too perfectionistic songwriting process, where we would spend days writing new interesting parts and sometimes just get stuck in a loop. It is about the agony of slow change and the need for re-invention.”

The accompanying video by Daniel Dueckminor is a fittingly 120 Minutes MTV era-inspired video shot on cassette tape that features secures of the band’s core members walking around at dusk or in the dark together, performing the song in a suburban and very stylish house and in an abandoned garage. Throughout the video switches between grainy VHS-styled color and a gorgeous, cinematic black and white.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Youth Lagoon Shares Meditative and Compassionate Ode to Failure “Football”

Boise-based singer/songwriter Trevor Powers is the creative mastermind behind the critically applauded psych/dream pop recording project Youth Lagoon. After a lengthy hiatus, which saw him recording under his own name, Powers returned with the critically applauded Heaven Is a Junkyard, the first Youth Lagoon album in eight years.

Powers begins 2024 with “Football,” the follow-up to Heaven Is a Junkyard, which sees him continuing his collaboration with co-producer Rodaidh McDonald. “Football” is a dreamily minimalistic track built around twinkling keys, a supple bass line, jazz-inflected four-on-the-floor-like rhythms and bursts of bluesy guitar paired with Powers’ gentle croon waxing metaphysically while telling tales of damaged people and failure with a compassionate, knowing sense of empathy.

“‘Football’ is really a celebration of failure,” Powers says. “Society has a terrible habit of only recognizing achievement while glossing over the greatness in the shadows. We’re so distracted trying to earn love, worth and value that we forget it’s something we inherently already have. I wanted to play with this idea through the lens of sports ‘cuz, in a lot of ways, sports are the truest religion. When I was young, it was the only way I knew how to connect with my dad. We didn’t have a lot in common, but we could both throw the ball. There were rules and rituals we could see eye-to-eye on. We didn’t have to argue over who was right or wrong. The difference in my family was, it didn’t matter how good I was. The act of just throwing a ball was communion. It didn’t matter if I caught it. I love my Dad for that.”

“Football” is accompanied by a video by Caleb Halter that’s nostalgia-inducing and charmingly old-timey as we see footage from old parades set in the screen, much like an old photo book.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 62nd Birthday, Robin Guthrie!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie’s 62nd birthday.

indie rock by William Ruben Helms

Founded by the members of the acclaimed Austin-based psych outfit The Black Angels and a collection of friends back in 2008 as a wholly DIY event, Austin Psych Fest expanded over the next handful of years into an international destination for the underground psych music scene. Since the inaugural festival, its organizers have sought to create a thriving center locally for the city’s independent music scene and internationally in the home of psych rock.

The event was renamed LEVITATION in tribute to legendary Austin-based psych rock outfit The 13th Floor Elevators, who reunited to play the festival in 2015.

Austin Psych Fest returned earlier this year, celebrating its 15th anniversary with a three-day throwback to its original, multi-stage, single venue format, bringing back a more intimate gathering for the Spring, while the sprawling LEVITATION will continue to take place in the Fall.

Austin Psych Fest is here to stay. And the 2024 edition of the festival will take place at the historic The Far Out Lounge during the weekend of April 26, 2024 – April 28, 2024. 2024’s edition will bring the old school vibe of the original event back outdoors and under the stars and oak trees at The Far Out Lounge’s sprawling backyard.

The upcoming Austin Psych Fest features an international slate of psych rock, dream pop and indie rock that simultaneously nods to the 1960s psych rock golden age with an eye towards the future. 2024’s lineup will feature Courtney Barnett headlining on April 26, along with Chicano Batman, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Orions Belte and more. JOVM mainstays The Black Angels will headline the festival’s second day, April 27 — and their set will feature the premiere of a new visual collaboration with TV Eye. That day will also see sets from All Them Witches, JOVM mainstays Frankie and The Witch Fingers, L.A. Witch, Japanese kraut rockers Minami Deutsch and more. The festival’s third and final day will feature a headlining set from Alvvays, and sets from JOVM mainstays Still Corners, Kurt Vile and the Violators and more. The full lineup is below.

Mind-bending liquid light and visuals will be provided by video artists Mad Alchemy, TV Eye and drip//cuts.

The LEVITATION Presale for both LEVITATION ’23 and Austin Psych Fest ’23 ticket customers went live earlier today and is here.

General public on-sale is tomorrow, December 15, 2024 at 10:00AM CST. You can check that out here.

AUSTIN PSYCH FEST LINEUP:

FRIDAY, APRIL 26 
COURTNEY BARNETT • CHICANO BATMAN 
PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
NO VACATION • LIDO PIMIENTA
LEVITATION ROOM • TROPA MAGICA
BRAINSTORY • ORIONS BELTE

SATURDAY, APRIL 27
THE BLACK ANGELS • ALL THEM WITCHES
WITCH • FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
EARTHLESS • L.A. WITCH • HOOVERiii
MINAMI DEUTSCH • GHOSTWOMAN

SUNDAY, APRIL 28
ALVVAYS • KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS
DEHD • YELLOW DAYS • STILL CORNERS
BLONDSHELL • MIKAELA DAVIS

& MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Still Corners Share Lush and Dreamy Visual for “Secret World”

Throughout their nearly two-decade career, acclaimed JOVM mainstays Still Corners — vocalist and keyboardist Tessa Murray and multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter Greg Hughes — have managed to bounce between chilly and atmospheric pop and shimmering guitar-driven, desert noir through five albums: 2012’s Creatures of an Hour, 2013’s Strange Pleasures, 2016’s Dead Blue, 2018’s Slow Air and 2020’s The Last Exit. 

Since the release of The Last Exit, the acclaimed dream pop duo released two stand alone singles:

  • 2021’s “Heavy Days,” which struck me as a synthesis of Dead Blue, Slow Air and The Last Exit — but while arguably being one of the more optimistic and sunnier songs of their catalog. 

  • Last year’s “Far Rider,” an expansive song that to my ear, sounds as though it could have been part of the Slow Air and The Last Exit sessions — but with a subtle modern, production flourish that features Murray’s smoky croon being chopped up and distorted. 

The JOVM mainstays’ long-awaited sixth full-length album Dream Talk is slated for an April 5, 2024 release through the band’s own label, Wrecking Light Records. The album’s material was written in Southern France, East Sussex, UK and Woodstock. “The songs came together quickly and being able to write from anywhere kept up our momentum,” Still Corners’ Tessa Murray says. 

Produced by the band’s Greg Hughes at their Woodstock-based studio, Hughes says, “We tried various things like different mics, amps and effects before committing to anything. Everything was mixed analog through our new SSL console, there’s a gleam to the sound”

Dream Talk features ten carefully-crafted songs that sees the acclaim duo further mastering a sound and body of work that is focused, stylish and incredibly seductive. “The genesis for a lot of these songs came from dreams. Every night I would write down the dreams I could remember,” Still Corners’ Murray says. “While recording I would pull out my book of dreams and sing over various looped phrases Greg had been working on. The repetitive nature of the looping and singing almost felt like going into a trance. A lot of the songs came from that process, it was fun and what I thought were sort of ramblings ended up surprising us with their various meanings and imagery.”

Dream Talk‘s first single “Secret World” pairs Murray’s imitable smoky croon with a shimmering and looping Western-tinged guitar line, twinkling and atmospheric synths and a gently driving rhythm. While continuing a remarkable run of dreamy yet alluring material with a subtle hint of danger — like the mythical sirens on the rock seducing sailors to their eventual doom. Thematically, the song ruminates upon the perils of obsession. 

“Sometimes the thought of someone, wanting to know them, get into their world is dangerous,” Tessa Murray explains. “The real person doesn’t matter anymore, just the fantasy of them, which is totally wrong but feels right.”

South in Southern England, the accompanying video for “Secret World” follows Still Corners’ Tessa Murray in a lush and verdant garden, in which she encounters some strange and fantastical creatures. “And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles,” the band says of the video.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Still Corners Share a Shimmering Rumination on Obsession

Throughout their nearly two-decade career, acclaimed JOVM mainstays Still Corners — vocalist and keyboardist Tessa Murray and multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter Greg Hughes — have managed to bounce between chilly and atmospheric pop and shimmering guitar-driven, desert noir through five albums: 2012’s Creatures of an Hour, 2013’s Strange Pleasures, 2016’s Dead Blue, 2018’s Slow Air and 2020’s The Last Exit. 

Since the release of The Last Exit, the acclaimed dream pop duo released two stand alone singles:

  • 2021’s “Heavy Days,” which struck me as a synthesis of Dead Blue, Slow Air and The Last Exit — but while arguably being one of the more optimistic and sunnier songs of their catalog.

  • Last year’s “Far Rider,” an expansive song that to my ear, sounds as though it could have been part of the Slow Air and The Last Exit sessions — but with a subtle modern, production flourish that features Murray’s smoky croon being chopped up and distorted.

The JOVM mainstays’ long-awaited sixth full-length album Dream Talk is slated for an April 5, 2024 release through the band’s own label, Wrecking Light Records. The album’s material was written in Southern France, East Sussex, UK and Woodstock. “The songs came together quickly and being able to write from anywhere kept up our momentum,” Still Corners’ Tessa Murray says.

Produced by the band’s Greg Hughes at their Woodstock-based studio, Hughes says, “We tried various things like different mics, amps and effects before committing to anything. Everything was mixed analog through our new SSL console, there’s a gleam to the sound”

Dream Talk features ten carefully-crafted songs that sees the acclaim duo further mastering a sound and body of work that is focused, stylish and incredibly seductive. “The genesis for a lot of these songs came from dreams. Every night I would write down the dreams I could remember,” Still Corners’ Murray says. “While recording I would pull out my book of dreams and sing over various looped phrases Greg had been working on. The repetitive nature of the looping and singing almost felt like going into a trance. A lot of the songs came from that process, it was fun and what I thought were sort of ramblings ended up surprising us with their various meanings and imagery.”

Dream Talk‘s first single “Secret World” pairs Murray’s imitable smoky croon with a shimmering and looping Western-tinged guitar line, twinkling and atmospheric synths and a gently driving rhythm. While continuing a remarkable run of dreamy yet alluring material with a subtle hint of danger — like the mythical sirens on the rock seducing sailors to their eventual doom. Thematically, the song ruminates upon the perils of obsession.

“Sometimes the thought of someone, wanting to know them, get into their world is dangerous,” Tessa Murray explains. “The real person doesn’t matter anymore, just the fantasy of them, which is totally wrong but feels right.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Moonraker Six Share Breezily Melancholy “Instant Bliss”

Moonraker Six is an emerging, Dutch sibling duo and electronic music project. After initially releasing a batch of indie electro pop and electronica-leaning tracks, they’ve gradually expanded upon their sound and approach, exploring increasingly different sounds and vibes.

Earlier this year, I wrote about “Sleepless,” a brooding bit of electro pop that seemingly channeled Power, Corruption & Lies-era New Order, Violator-era Depeche Mode and Come With Us-era Chemical Brothers with the song seeing the duo pair glistening synths, club rocking beats and live drumming with enormous, crowd pleasing hooks and vocals from Angry High Five, who add a swaggering bit of rock bombast to the song.

The Dutch sibling duo’s latest single “Instant Bliss” is a breezy bit of melancholy, hook-driven dream pop featuring glistening synths, a shout-along worthy chorus and a fuzzy guitar solo. While revealing a band that’s restlessly experimenting with their sound and approach, “Instant Bliss” will further cement the duo’s penchant for crafting remarkably catchy hooks.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Portland, Maine’s Crystal Canyon Shares Slow-Burning and Shimmering “Sierra”

Founded by Detroit-born Lynda Mandolyn (vocals, guitar), who spent her formative years fronting the all-female punk outfit Inside Out; and The Baltic Sea’s Todd Hutchinsen (guitar, engineering) back in 2015, Portland, ME-based shoegazers Crystal Canyon were formed with a simple mission: to call upon the spirit and vibe of the tradition of late 80s and 90s shoegaze without rehashing the formulaic gestures or strictures of the genre. The band also features a collection of Northeast indie scene veterans, including Hutchisen’s The Baltic Sea bandmate Jeremy Smith (bass).

The Portland shoegazer’s third album, the recently released nine-song, Stars and Distant Light was recorded at Hutchisen’s Acadia Recording Company studio — and features the band’s newest member, multi-instrumentalist Nate Manning, who primarily contributes drums, along with guitar and other instrumental work throughout the album’s material. The album’s more explosive moments, as the band explains is a direct result of the fresh perspective to their sound that he brought to the sessions.

Sonically, Stars and Distant Light sees the band being true to the classic shoegazer stereotype of being obsessive about their gear, with the album featuring sounds that could only be produced following the trial and error of dozens of guitar tracked meticulously onto analog tape. Overall, the album sees the band’s members taking all of their combined professional experiences to craft material that fuses their previous experiences and influences in a way that sounds unlike anything any individual member has done before. “We formed a band that sounded like the music we listened to,” says Mandolyn. “In the process, we’ve become a band we’d want others to hear.”

The band’s Hutchisen explains, “We started out demoing about sixteen or seventeen songs then finally narrowed down the songs to the nine that are on the record,” while citing the inclusion of more synth and keyboards being not just one point of departure from their previous releases, but a refinement of their established commitment to lush soundscapes.

Stars and Distant Light‘s latest single “Sierra” is a slow-burning, Souvlaki-era Slowdive-meets-Twin Peaks-like bit of dream pop built around shimmering and swirling guitar textures, thunderous drumming paired with Mandolyn’s dreamy delivery and big, swooning choruses. The song sees the band managing to balance cathartic release with restraint, which is important for a band that has a penchant for being loud.

The band notes that the song is a tribute to the late Julee Cruise, who was best known for her work with composer Angelo Badalamaenti and director David Lynch in the late 1980s — especially on Twin Peaks.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Montréal’s Ormiston Shares Breezy and Hook-Driven “Bittersweet Summertime”

Nicola Ormiston is a Montréal-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and the creative mastermind behind the solo recording project Ormiston. Since the release of his full-length debut Hammer Down, album single “Distortion of Reality” premiered on David Dean Burkhart’s YouTube Channel and amassed over 920,000 views and “Time Fades” appeared in Meet Cute, which starred Pete Davidson.

Ormiston’s sophomore album Highway Restaurant reportedly sees him continuing the psychedelic and dream pop influenced sound that has won him attention but with electronic and disco nods. And much like its predecessor, the new album will likely draw comparisons to Toro Y Moi, Men I Trust, MUNYA, MGMT, and others.

Inspired by an eye-opening, several week trip to Los Angeles, Highway Restaurant‘s material reportedly evokes late-night drives through the fanciest and the most neglected parts of urban centers. Witnessing Los Angeles’ “high amount of glamour and money” alongside poverty and homelessness reminded him that, when you look at some of the most beautiful things, morbid and ugly streaks often lie just under the surface. As a result, the material constantly makes contrasts between the beautiful and the ugly, the joyful and the bleak.

Highway Restaurant‘s latest single, the mid tempo strut “Bittersweet Summertime” continues a remarkable run of breezy, funky and hook-driven pop built around glistening synths, Nile Rodgers-inspired funk guitar and a sinuous bass line paired with the Montréal-based artist’s dreamy delivery. And while seemingly channeling the breezy and funky bops of JOVM mainstays MUNYA and Kainalu, “Bittersweet Summertime” is a bubble-bursting tell-off to someone who seems vain, delusional — and perhaps a bit narcissistic.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Toronto’s SWiiMS Shares Fuzzy and Swooning “All I Die For”

Toronto-based indie outfit SWiiMS — founding duo Mai Diaz Langou (vocals)and Colin Thompson (guitar) along with Cian O’Ruanaidh (bass) — can trace their origins back to 2018 when the band’s founding duo began writing songs together that blended Thompson’s fuzzy and jangling guitar swirl with Diaz Langou’s textured melodies and languid vocal. When O’Ruanaidh joined the band, he brought a unique blend of influences and hooky bass lines.

Sonically, the Canadian trio draw from a diverse spectrum of artists and elements including 80s New Wave, 90s Shoegaze, indie rock, Brit Pop and Dream Pop to create a sound that’s uniquely theirs.

SWiiMS’ debut EP, 2019’s Through Waves was released to critical praise and landed on the North American College and Community College (NACC) charts. Building upon a growing profile, the trio’s full-length debut, Into The Blue Night is slated for a November 10, 2023 release through Mint 400 Records.

Into The Blue Night‘s latest single, the swooning “All I Die For” sees the Toronto-based indie outfit firmly cementing their sound as fuzzy and swirling guitar textures are paired with glistening synth arpeggios, a propulsive rhythm section and languid vocal melodies to create a song that’s simultaneously dreamily uplifting and moody. While channelling 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock, the song as the band explains is about “the beginning stages of a relationship, and how you try to make yourself more intriguing or impressive than you are in order to keep that person interested. It also describes the feeling of hopefulness, bliss and loss of control that the start of any new relationship brings.
​
The accompanying stylishly shot video for “All I Die For” features the band in a local park with Diaz Langou brooding in a climbable structure and with her bandmates on a swing behind her, stylishly shot footage of the band playing the song and footage of Toronto at night.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Church Shares Haunting and Dream-like Visual for “Realm of Minor Angels”

Founded back in 1980, the Sydney-based ARIA Hall of Fame inductees The Church — currently founding member Steve Kilbey (vocals, bass, guitar); longtime collaborator and producer Tim Powles (drums), who joined the band in 1994 and has contributed to 17 albums; Ian Haug (guitar), a former member of Aussie rock outfit Powderfinger, who joined the band in 2013; multi-instrumentalist Jeffery Cain, a former member of Remy Zero and touring member of the band, who joined the band full-time after Peter Koppes left the band in early 2020; and their newest member, Ashley Naylor (guitar), a long-time member of Paul Kelly’s touring band and one of Australia’s most respected guitarists — was initially associated with their hometown’s New Wave, neo-psychedelic and indie rock scenes. 

Over the course of the next couple of decades, they became increasingly associated with dream pop and post-rock: Featuring shimmering soundscapes, their material took on slower tempos while built around their now, long-held reputation for an uncompromising approach to both their songwriting and sound. 

Their 25th album, 2017’s Man Woman Life Death Infinity was released to critical praise from the likes of PopMatters, who called the album “a 21st-century masterpiece, a bright beam of light amid a generic musical landscape, and truly one of the Church’s greatest releases.” 

The highly-anticipated follow-up to 2017’s Man Woman Life Death Infinity — and their 26th album! —  The Hypnogogue was released earlier this year release through Communicating Vessels/Unorthodox. 

The Hypnogogue is the band’s first full-length concept album: Set in 2054, the album follows its protagonist Eros Zeta, the biggest rock star of his era, who travels from his home in Antarctica to use the titular Hypnogogue to help him revive his flagging and moribund fortunes. “The Hypnogogue is set in 2054… a dystopian and broken down future,” The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains. “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.”

“The Hypnogogue is the most prog rock thing we have ever done,” Kilbey says. “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.”

In the lead to the album’s release, I wrote about three of its singles:

  • The album’s expansive and brooding title track and first single, “The Hypnogogue.” Featuring the band’s swirling and textured guitar-driven sound paired with Kilbey’s imitable delivery, the song introduces listeners to the album’s characters — Eros Zeta and Sum Kim. The song follows Zeta, as they’re traveling to meet Kim, to go through the titular hypnogogue. But during the toxic and weird process, Zeta winds up falling in love with Kim. As Kilbey says, “. . . it all ends tragically (of course . .. as these things often do). 

  • The jangling and deceptively upbeat “C’est La Vie,” which continues the album’s narrative. Zeta’s agent warms him not to mess with the hypnogogue. “His manager has heard some bad rumors about it, and he doesn’t want his boy all strung out on this unknown thing,” The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains. The song ends with a gorgeous, shimmering fade out. “Musically, the song is a fast-paced rocker very much initiated by our guitarist Ian Haug. But it has plenty of twists and turns and ends up fading away in a delicate and winsome way.” 

  • “No Other You,” a glittering glam rock-like ballad with some Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie guitar work and a cinematic quality paired with Kilbey expressing an aching, almost desperate longing. “No Other You” may arguably be the most straightforward and earnest song of the band’s extensive catalog. The song continues the album’s narrative — but on a more personal level: The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains that the song 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.”

The band will be embarking on a second leg of their North American tour to support their 26th album during the fall. The tour will see them playing dates across the West Coast, Southwest, Southeast and Illinois. The band will be offering a limited number of VIP packs on the tour’s second leg, which will include the show ticket, early venue access, an invitation to the band’s soundcheck, a special meet and greet with the band, exclusive merch and the ability to watch a portion of the show from the side of the stage, where available. Tour dates are below. 

Coinciding with the fall tour, the acclaimed Aussie outfit recently released a digital deluxe edition of The Hypnogogue that will include material originally cut from the 13-song album.  

The deluxe edition will include “Realm of Minor Angels,” a slow-burning and gorgeous, torch song-inspired ballad featuring shimmering mandolin from Ian Haug and slide guitar from Ashley Naylor paired with Kilbey’s crooned delivery. Sonically, “Realm of Minor Angels” wouldn’t sound out of place on Starfish or Gold Afternoon Fix. 

“‘Realm of Minor Angels’ is without doubt one of my favorite singles The Church has ever released,” The Church’s Steve Bilberry says. “From the moment [guitarist] Jeffrey Cain started playing the opening riff, I was hooked. The singing and lyrics are my own subtle homage to the torch songs of the ‘60s and check out Ian Haug’s mandolin lines and Ashley Naylor’s slide work!”

Directed by Clint Lewis and featuring additional footage shot by Danial Willis and Randall Turner, the accompanying video for “Realm of Minor Angels” stars Carol Larsen as Sun Kim Jong and Selma Soul as Eros Zeta. We see Laren’s Sun Kim Jong discovering Soul’s Eros Zeta strung out and nearly comatose. Through what seems to be flashbacks or perhaps a vivid hallucination, we see Kim Jong and Zeta slow dancing together and other tender moments. Televisions flash all around them in the room, and we see the members of The Church performing the song from the studio. Much like the preceding videos, this one has a haunting, dream-like quality.

Going beyond the initial storyline told in The Hypnogogue, The Church will be releasing Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, a companion CD that will serve as a continuation of the storyline. The limited-edition CD will only be available at merch tables on the tour.

The original dream-pulling storyline,” as Kilbey explains, “follows 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 things often do).”

Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars expands and builds upon the mythology of The Hypnogogue. As the band’s Kilbey explains: “Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars were formed in 2048 in Antarctic City in Antarctica. They had many hits including ‘Realm of Minor Angels’ and ‘Sublimated in Song’ and in all released six collections of music. They toured the postwar world incessantly during the early 2050s and were capable on a good night of selling out concerts in most countries that still had gigs. The band were troubled with personnel and substance problems culminating in Eros Zeta’s addiction to Sky and his subsequent inability to write new songs.

“In 2054, he journeyed to Korea where he used the Hypnogogue to create new music. After the disastrous effects these songs created, he died in a traffic accident whilst on his way to the airport to return home. The songs were thereafter prohibited in most places. In recognition of his services to Antarctican music, a statue was built to honor him in the Australian Quarter of Antarctic city. The band continued on without him but to little success which led to them disbanding in 2057.”