Five Classic Cuts from the Church

Outside of the Church’s native Australia, the band’s albums have charted only once since 1992 (2003’s Forget Yourself reached No. 42 on the U.S. Indie Albums chart). But the prolific and endlessly creative band remains a steady concert draw and a critical favorite. The Church’s most recent studio release is 2024’s Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, the band’s 27th album and a sequel to the conceptually-based The Hypnogogue, released a year earlier.

The Church’s commercial apex lasted from 1988’s Starfish through 1992’s Priest = Aura, but leader Steve Kilbey’s impressionistic and evocative lyrics continue to entrance listeners, and the band’s trademark mix of goth, psychedelia and dream-pop has won the Church a dedicated following. The Church’s history on record extends all the way back to 1981’s Of Skins and Heart; that album debut performed well on charts in Australia, New Zealand and Sweden. But it wouldn’t be until the release of their fourth album – 1985’s Heyday – that the group landed on U.S. album charts. In celebration of the recent 40-year anniversary of their worldwide breakthrough Heyday, here are five must-hear tracks from the Church.

“The Unguarded Moment” from Of Skins and Heart (1981)
The second single from the Church scored the band its first Australian hit, reaching No. 22 in the band’s home country. When Of Skins and Heart was released in the U.S., the album was re-titled The Church. More upbeat than much of what listeners would subsequently hear from the band, “The Unguarded Moment” is nonetheless a fan favorite.

“Metropolis” from Gold Afternoon Fix (1990)
After the commercial success of the band’s 1988 album Starfish – with its hit single “Under the Milky Way” – all parties expected the next album to build on that momentum. And while Gold Afternoon Fix was a critical success, the band was unhappy with it. So while “Metropolis” would reach the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart, Steve Kilbey has often attempted to distance himself from the album.

“Fly Home” from Sometime Anywhere (1994)
By the time of session for the Church’s ninth album, only Kilbey and guitarist Marty Willson-Piper remained from the original lineup. The duo worked with drum loops and session players to create the more experimental Sometime Anywhere; it’s a long album filled with long tracks. It’s also one of the Church’s most richly textured releases; a highlight of the album is “Fly Home,” co-written by the duo and featuring lead vocals from Willson-Piper.

“The Porpoise Song” from A Box of Birds (1999)
The Church rarely recorded songs by other artists, but for their 12th album, they pivoted and recorded ten cover songs. The well-received album featured songs by well-known acts (The Beatles, Neil Young) alongside tunes originally by artists relatively unknown in the U.S. A deep album track from the Monkees’ Head, “The Porpoise Song” is a wonderfully atmospheric tune written by Carole King.

“No Other You” from The Hypnogogue (2023)
Steve Kilbey has always been an evocative lyricist; his songs transport the listener to distant and unfamiliar lands. But until The Hypnogogue, the Church had never made a conceptually unified album. The tragic tale of rock star Eros Zeta is at the center of both The Hypnogogue and its 2024 sequel. It’s not all gloom and doom, though: “No Other You” is a fine love song.