Jammerzine has an exclusive interview with The Church’s Steve Kilbey. With today being the release of the Church’s new concept ‘prog’ album titled ‘The Hypnogogue’, Steve gives up the ghosts and gives us a glimpse of the process that became ‘The Hypnogogue’ in this vivid and candid conversation.

‘The Hypnogogue’

For those of you that think you know The Church, think again. this is as much a continuation as it is a reimage. ‘The Hypnogogue’ is a loose concept. An album inside a story idea. Past that, it’s left to interpretation.

You cannot help but ask yourself if you are not hearing that transition within each song. The first thing I notice as I write this, having just come off the interview and talking about this being The Church’s 26th album is that The Church still manage to remain relevant with their 26th album. As someone who has been in music as long as I have, as well as being a writer, I can be the first to tell you about writer’s block.

Having said that; I can’t also help but notice those little signatures that tell you it’s The Church. But we also hear the new elements. Or is it a newfound inspiration. Or just the consistent love for music. And, while the experimentation element is there, it’s there sparingly. Not done for anything other than spreading the wings. Not doing it for the sake of saying it was done. And, while I can honestly say I have had a fondness for all of The Church’s albums, I can now count ‘The Hypnogogue’ among those albums.

About The Church & ‘The Hypnogogue’

“The Hypnogogue is the most prog rock thing we have ever done. ‘We’ve also never had a concept album before,” says 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.” Entering their fourth decade of making music and playing live shows with all the fierce creative energy of their early years, The Church have announced a North American tour that kicks off on March 11 th in Los Angeles and circles the States, concluding on April 8th in Pelham, TN.

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 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).

Featured image by Hugh Stewart.

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