SPILL NEW MUSIC: THE CHURCH RETURN WITH THE SMOKY-FLAVORED SINGLE “WESTERN” | NEW ALBUM ‘LACUNA’ OUT OCTOBER 30 VIA COOKING VINYL

THE CHURCH RETURN WITH THE SMOKY-FLAVORED SINGLE “WESTERN”

NEW ALBUM LACUNA OUT OCTOBER 30 VIA COOKING VINYL

Set amongst chiming guitars and a propulsive beat, the new single “WESTERN” from Australian psychedelic dream pop legends THE CHURCH herald the next chapter in the storied band’s 46-year history. Taken from the upcoming album LACUNA (release date: October 30, 2026 via Cooking Vinyl), “Western” follows the previous single “Sacred Echoes Part II” which was released last Winter.

“Well, we were in Texas, weren’t we?” laughs bassist/vocalist/founder Steve Kilbey about the regionally named single, which was recorded in Austin, TX. “As a kid, all there was on TV were Westerns, so I let it all soak in and this is what came out. Some nice six-string bass counter riffs going, and the song is basically a shaggy dog story that just jumps all over the place… breezy and uncomplicated.”

With some granular Southwestern atmospherics well-placed throughout the three-minute single, “Western” is an airy and light song that has been described as “atmospheric post-punk flourishes that ride atop a sonic bed that suggest Native American tonality and rhythm,” and has also had it characterized as possessing “the same depth as their classics.”

Following a massively successful world tour celebrating their singles, The Church are prepping their return with the release of their 28^th album Lacuna. 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 17-track opus opens with the ebb and flow intro of “Lumbini Grove” before launching at the halfway point into a soaring anthem that signals the arrival of Kilbey’s tight-fisted grasp of melody. The celestial guitar twinkle of “Winter” that hearkens to their earlier works. “This is the most old-fashioned, old school, Church-styled song for a while,” Kilbey reckons. “It could have easily been on Blurred Crusade. A bit of continuity right back to the olden days!” The piano-led “Forever” strips back the guitar layers to The Church’s classic sound. Beginning with some random chords that guitarist Ashley Naylor was playing on a grand piano, Kilbey joined him and the song took shape. “The lyrics fell out of the sky and into my head,” Kilbey says. “We did a bit of work on the middle eight and the outro which has a bit of a Neil Young feeling, I guess. It was a very different style of vocal performance which I hadn’t really done before. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the album too.”

Their final track, “Sacred Echoes” (the single version was released in Winter 2025 in shortened form as “Sacred Echoes Part II”), is an epic closer. Its dramatic opening returns the band to grand form. “Bleak and yet beautiful ‘Sacred Echoes’ is unlike any previous Church song ever with its almost orchestral climaxes and its sombre mood,” Kilbey concludes. “The lyrics and voice are the weariness at the point where hope and hopelessness merge. The music is by turns delicate and sparse turning into a churning monstrous racket. Intense, forlorn and exultant!”

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”, citing their “dreamy psychedelia that will daub your evening with shades of paisley.”

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 remain a treasured creative force.

The Church
Lacuna
(Cooking Vinyl)
Release Date: October 30, 2026

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Background Photo Credit: Adam Nicholas