Having been a fan of these guys ever since first hearing “Under The Milkyway” I approached lead singer and bassist Steve Kilbey of The Church on Sunday night right after their June 21st show at the Varsity, interested in an interview. Since they were leaving for their next tour destination the next morning, it was decided to conduct the interview through email. The following is the email interview.

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Schwaz: Untitled # 23 is receiving great critical acclaim and industry buzz right now. How do you feel about the record, personally?

Steve Kilbey: Detached. I wasn’t sure that I really liked it until it started getting all the good reviews. Then I thought, “Yeah, I like it” then!

Schwaz: In most Church albums there seems to be a series of recurring themes pertaining to futuristic societies, controlled substances and precarious women. You seem able to re-use these themes in a unique way with every new album. What would you say is your main source of inspiration when writing these lyrics?

Steve: I’d say that they were definitely some of my preoccupations, but not always. The lyrics have always just rolled out of my head, I can’t say where they really come from. My mind is like that with words, constantly rolling phrases around, remembering snatches of conversations. I was like that as a child too.

Schwaz: The Church has been making music for almost 30 years, with only one lineup change so far. What would you say inspires The Church to keep working together?

Steve: We still haven’t finished with each other!

Schwaz: The title track to After Everything Now This seems to depict the idea of a relationship that is continuous, and without an end. Could this be interpreted as dealing with the separation from Arista Records, and how would you describe what happened there?

Steve: No, it’s definitely not about Arista who dropped us when we were no longer a profitable concern. I don’t blame them nor do I feel bitter about it. After Everything Now This is about a man dying and it’s happening on all levels at once. It’s about the futility.

Schwaz: Last but not least is the obligatory silly question: If you could be any kind of space animal, what would you most preferably be, and why?

Steve: I would be a black hole mole. Able to appear and vanish, anywhere in the universe.

Links

The Church – Website / Myspace

Purchase Untitled #23 HERE.

See other upcoming tour dates by the The Church HERE.

posted June 25th, 2009 at 2:28 pm Interviews, Reviews Steve Kilbey, The Church