While it’s a seemingly rare occurrence for a band to continue making music into their fifth decade, even fewer top off that achievement with one of their most recent albums being named one of “2023’s Best Albums” by a venerable magazine like SPIN. But The Church did just that with The Hypnogogue, an album so adored by critics and fans alike that it ushered in an entirely new era for the Australian band.
Now armed with their 28th album Lacuna, the psychedelic dreampop legends continue to evolve and transform, remaining not only relevant but consistently delivering music that is innovative yet true to their signature sound. “Intense, forlorn, and exultant,” is how bassist/vocalist/founder Steve Kilbey describes the album.
The album opens to the natural sounds of crickets chirping, signaling a calm before a storm… and what a storm it is. From the open acoustic guitar chimes of “Lumbini Grove” which ebbs and flows with the muffled clashing of cymbals, Lacuna creates an atmosphere of quiet resolve and urgency. With a measured command of melody and instrumentation that only comes with experience and age, it’s an album rife with indelible musical clasps that fasten hold of your attention and refuses easy surrender. It’s a steadfast talent that Kilbey hosts close to his chest that’s been ever-present in the 27 albums that preceded it (best evidenced by the jubilant, nearly sold out 2025-2026 Singles Tour legs across Australia and North America, featuring night after night of incredible three-hour sets).
Coupled with Kilbey’s poetic and sometimes enigmatic lyrics, a multi-guitar textural atmosphere, and the hypnotic rhythm section, Lacuna unfolds like a secret hidden in a slowly unraveling origami, reveling in its complexity but revealing its hidden message in due time. These architects of neo-psychedelic dream-gaze embeds his metaphysical and esoteric lyricism deep within the shimmering, lush twin-guitar textures, often achieving absolute sonic transcendence.
The spacious architecture of “The Lemurian,” the chiming propulsiveness of the kaleidoscopic “Rapture” and the immersive and epic drone of first single “Sacred Echoes” (an edited version of the sprawling nine-minute opus was released at the end of 2025) display the measured diversity of the new album, held tightly together by the inherent chemistry and instinctive interplay of the sixpiece. Lacuna plays out like a cohesive post-punk opera with Kilbey’s poetic and dulcet vocals, firmly fixed in the spotlight centerstage.
Starting in 1980, The Church continued expanding their highly cinematic and atmospheric blend of indie rock, shimmering post-punk, icy dreampop and psychedelic post-rock without retreading their steps. Beginning with classic early albums Of Skins and Heart, The Blurred Crusade, and Heyday which built a sturdy foundation, 1988’s Starfish broke into the mainstream and gave The Church the international hit “Under the Milky Way.” The hit single has been regarded as one of the most influential and recognizable Australian rock anthems of all time.
The renowned six-piece line-up is made up of bassist, vocalist and founder Steve Kilbey; long-time collaborator, drummer and producer Tim Powles, who’s remained a staple across 18 albums since 1994; guitarist Ian Haug, who has been strumming with the band since 2013 and formerly of Australian rock icons Powderfinger; multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Cain from American alt-rock band Remy Zero who first joined the band as a touring musician before joining the band full time in 2020; Ashley Naylor, one of Australia’s finest guitarists and a long-time member of Paul Kelly’s touring band; and newest member Nicholas Meredith on drums. Soon entering their fifth decade as a band, The Church continue to remain a treasured creative force.
