The Church Release Deluxe Edition of "The Hypnogogue" + Companion CD

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Before I began writing for Desert Local News, I was a long-time contributing music writer for The Orange County Register in Orange County, Calif.

Robert Kinsler - September 22, 2023 - Entertainment new music alternative rock modern rock The Church Steve Kilbey Ian Haug Ashley Naylor Tim Powles - 5.4K views - 0 Comments - 0 Likes - 0 Reviews

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Photo credit: Hugh Stewart

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023 (Melbourne, AUS) – Some stories don’t quite have endings… Such is the case with THE CHURCH’s latest album THE HYPNOGOGUE which was originally released on February 24, 2023. A visionary album with a narrative thread - a first for the band who is entering their fifth decade of making music, The Hypnogogue’s retro-futuristic, dystopian narrative reads like a short story from visionary science fiction author Philip K. Dick (“A Scanner Darkly,” “Electric Dreams”), revolving around a fictional machine (the "Hypnogogue") that extracts music directly from subconscious dreams.

Now, as the band kicks off their second U.S. leg of their worldwide tour (tour dates below), the story of “The Hypnogogue” extends with a newly-released, expanded deluxe digital edition. With six added tracks, the deluxe package includes the recently released single and video “Realm of Minor Angels” which Post-Punk.com described as “hypnotic and ever-catchy” and bassist/vocalist/founder Steve Kilbey cites as “without doubt one of my favorite singles The Church has ever released.”

The Church "Realm of Minor Angels (Official Music Video)"
Link: https://youtu.be/AAFCXpxZ8PY?si=h5NKemEJg2F3IeBO

Going beyond the initial storyline of The Hypnogogue, The Church will be releasing Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, a companion CD that includes 15 brand new tracks, serving 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).”

In the progression of the 15 tracks, the story of Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars expands the mythos, as explained by Kilbey:

“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.”

The Hypnogogue resulted in arguably some of the best reviews in the band’s 40-year history. A.V. Club lauded, “There’s a warm intimacy to this trippy, low-key affair that invites you to trance out into contemplative bliss. Elements of the goth, new wave, and space rock worlds that intermingled when they started still coalesce here… The Hypnogogue works equally well as retro and timeless music.” Brooklyn Vegan adds, “Forty some years into their existence, these Aussie psych legends are making some of the most vital music of their careers.” Under the Radar assures, “The Hypnogogue reaffirms why this band have been held in high esteem for so long.”

Starting out in 1980, The Church have continued to expand their highly cinematic and atmospheric blend of indie rock, shimmering post-punk, icy dreampop and psychedelic post-rock without retreading their steps. 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.”

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).

The Hypnogogue (Deluxe) is released now and available at https://orcd.co/qj0qmo9.

TOUR DATES

Sep 28	Seattle, WA	Neptune Theater
Sep 30	San Francisco, CA	Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2023
Oct 1	Mill Valley, CA	Sweetwater Music Hall
Oct 2	Ventura, CA	Ventura Music Hall
Oct 4	Pomona, CA	The Glass House
Oct 5	Las Vegas, NV	Brooklyn Bowl
Oct 6	Chandler, AZ	The Showroom at Wild Horse Pass
Oct 7	Santa Fe, NM	The Lesnic
Oct 9	Omaha, NE	The Waiting Room
Oct 11	Ferndale, MI	The Magic Bag
Oct 12	State College, PA	State Theater
Oct 13	Covington, KY	Madison Theatre
Oct 14	Atlanta, GA	Variety Playhouse
Oct 15	Birmingham, AL	Saturn
Oct 17	Ponte Vedra, FL	Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
Oct 18	Orlando, FL	The Abbey
Oct 19	Clearwater, FL	Capitol Theatre
Oct 20	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Culture Room
Oct 21	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Culture Room
Oct 23	Pensacola, FL	Vinyl Music Room
Oct 24	New Orleans, LA	House of Blues
Oct 26	Austin, TX	Levitation Festival
Oct 27	Houston, TX	Heights Theater
Oct 28	Dallas, TX	Kessler Theater
Oct 29	Oklahoma City, OK	Tower Theater
Oct 31	Evanston, IL	SPACE
Nov 1	Evanston, IL	SPACE