Posted on: November 17, 2017 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Australia’s long running band The Church have had an envious career. Together since 1980, they’ve consistently managed to turn out one great record after the next and tour consistently without breaking up or even taking the expected decades-long hiatus like many of their contemporaries. There has been speculation over the years that singer/bassist Steve Kilbey would leave the band, but ultimately it was longtime guitarist Marty Willson-Piper who ended up leaving in 2013. Aside from that one defection, the line up has remained consistent for most of the past two-decades.

As “Man Woman Life Death Infinity” proves, there doesn’t seem to be any need to mess with a successful formula. Their 26th record, they fully evolved decades ago from a classic New Wave band to one of the most consistently satisfying Dream Pop groups out there, adding plenty of swirling guitars, psychedelic keys and Kilbey’s easily recognizable, controlled vocals. While there’s really no departure from the last few records, this latest boasts some of the band’s best songs in years, like the charming “Undersea” or “Before The Deluge,” both of which would have fit along nicely on a record like “Starfish” or “Gold Afternoon Fix.”

Coming in at 10 tracks, the band makes judicious use of their time, delivering a record that’s both succinct and enjoyable from almost its entirety.

The Church – Man Woman Life Death Infinity/10 tracks/Unorthodox/2017 / https://twitter.com/thechurchband?

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