The Church return with their 27th portion of alternative psychedelia.

Release Date: 24th May 2024

Label: Easy Action Records

Format: digital / CD

With a healthy career and clutch of albums behind them, it’s no surprise that The Church has been heralded as Godfathers of the Aussie Prog/Psych scene with peers Tame Impala and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.

A rapid response follow up – and companion of sorts – to 2023’s The Hypnogogue. The dystopian storyline continues as failed Rock Star Eros Zeta attempts to use the dream extractor, the Hypnogogue, to reclaim former glories. The set includes a couple of Eros Zeta (& The Perfumed Guitars…formed in 2048) hits in Realm Of Minor Angels and Sublimated In Song while using the Hypogogue to create new music in 2054 – AI coming home to roost maybe? or maybe the crossover between fantasy and reality.

Storyline aside, Eros Zeta… is a set where the dreamy melancholy of the opening gambit, Realm Of Minor Miracles – “no more see you later…” – is reprised throughout the journey. One where the tone is set by jangly guitars and plentiful measures of seductive psychedelic washes. Following the gorgeously dreamy 2054, the sonic pallet of reverbed guitars takes a subtle shift whilst retaining the laid back vibe.

The Weather sees them combining a stark spikiness, early Floyd with slashes of Glam Rock whilst the spoken word of Korea adds weight to the storytelling arc. The reverie is given a gentle nudge with the occasional rhythm heavy and busy tempos as punctuation points yet the pervading sense of being lulled and eased into an alternative dimension remains the key element.

A Strange Past hits the extended play button as The Church groove out; the central section passing through a Space Rock filter that’s most satisfying and expands the absorbing and immersive experience of tripping down the rabbit hole in search of Eros Zeta.

Here’s Pleasure:

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