Australian psych-rock legends THE CHURCH emerge with their first new studio album in six years. The bands 26th album gleams with potential hits every bit as chiming and charming as their definitive early work, like the galloping “C’est la Vie”, the sleighbell-toned jangler “I Think I Knew,” a jittery “The Coming Days,” and an arena-huge anthem called “No Other You” that recalls vintage early-‘80s classics like “The Unguarded Moment.” Anchored by long-time collaborator Tim Powles, drummer and producer across 17 albums since '94 and buttressed by the newly invigorated triple-guitar threat of Jeffery Cain (Remy Zero), Ashley Naylor (Even, The Stems) , and ex-Powderfinger stylist Ian Haug. In the end, it’s founding member, Steve Kilbey’s ethereal pneumatic warble and ― by his own faux-journo-speak definition in the lyrics ― “reptilian bass”: that hold sway, especially as the melodies get more psychedelic and prog-rock intricate on “Antarctica,” “Ascendance,” and the six-minute epic “Succulent.” Often seen as the godfathers of an Australian psychedelic scene generating such internationally successful names as Tame Impala and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, The Church have continued to evolve their sound. This LP is pressed on gorgeous black vinyl as it was meant to be.
