The Church | Feature Artist

The Church are one of the longest active Australian rock groups with the band going over 45 years in music as of last year.

Over this time, the band have dipped their toes in many pools from radio rock to post punk to prog.

They’ve experimented with concepts and genres consistently over their career with them now completing a two part prog rock odyssey and will now tour with an Orchestra later this year.

It’s fair to say they’re a cult pick that’s carried them through the years.

But ‘Starfish’ is their masterpiece. It’s one of the most criminally underrated rated records in Australian music.

Recorded in sheer misery in Los Angeles in the mid 1980’s, the band shed any inclination of writing radio friendly hits and instead opted for narcotic soaked melancholy over 10 tracks of loathing.

The obvious picks from this one are ‘Reptile’ and ‘Under the Milky Way’ as they remain cornerstones from the band across all listeners.

But this record is a masterclass in thematic focus as the band hones in on the concept of being completely lost. ‘North, South, East, West’ or ‘Destination’.

At a glance; it’s just another great Australian 80’s rock record, but at its best, it’s a defining record for a cornerstone act and one of the best in the canon.

‘Starfish’ is available in the Store now.

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