After signing to Arista in 1988, they saw their largest international success with the album Starfish and the American Top 40 hit "Under The Milky Way" which resurfaced on the soundtrack of the cult movie "Donnie Darko". Whilst the band remain feted by their peers, subsequent commercial success proved elusive: 1990s follow-up album "Gold Afternoon Fix" failed to capitalise on their success, and the band weathered several line-up changes after its release, first losing long-term drummer Richard Ploog, then Peter Koppes following 1992s "Priest = Aura". That album baffled and confused many fans upon its release as to what band The Church was considered to be, but is now considered a seminal album and one of the most revered by Church connoisseurs. The vacant drum-stool on Priest=Aura being occupied by Jay Dee Daugherty of Arista labelmate Patti Smiths group, and it was produced by Gavin MacKillop of Moose.
Reduced to a two-piece, Kilbey & Willson-Piper re-grouped with the assistance of drummer/producer Tim Powles to record 1994's "Sometime Anywhere", concluding their obligations to the Arista and Mushroom labels. The commercial decline, combined with the Church being ignored again by a music press more focused on the Nineties' music trends, could have brought about the demise of the band, had it not coincided with the breakthrough of the internet, thus enabling direct communication from the band to its passionate cult fanbase.
This brought about a new beginning for The Church, with Peter Koppes rejoining the band for recording 1996s "Magician Among The Spirits". The band (with Koppes back into the fold, and Powles now as the permanent drummer ), hit a re-newed creative surge and with regained selfconfidence, released "Hologram Of Baal" 2 years later, and toured Australia, the USA and Europe.
The first decade of the 21st century found the band releasing severeal highly critically acclaimed albums, like 2002's aptly named "After Everything Now this" and 2003's "Forget Yourself", the latter breaking new ground with bandmembers swapping instruments in the recording process. Live performances stray from high profile events like the 03 concerts at Sydney Opera House and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, to low-profile gigs for smaller audiences, often confusing old 80s fans, surprised to find the band still playing, wrongly assuming the band just being one in the never-ending string of reunion acts.
2009's album "Untitled#23" marked yet another highlight.. its essence represented in just 10 songs, and with a strong less-is-more approach, the albums core identity being on par with Starfish, it also finds Steve Kilbey breaking new ground as a vocalist.
2010 saw their 30th anniversary, with extensive touring in the US and Australia. Their unique position and importance in the australian music scene was recognized with an ARIA award.
Their album, "Further Deeper", was released in 2014, and "man woman life death infinity" in 2017.
Unsubstantiated
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As we begin our descent into vanity
She's an X-ray of a woman
And she walks right out of the film
Dematerializes slowly
Scatters into the air
Unsubstantiated
Unsubstantiated
The train is gone, we're alone in Germany
And the countryside is all golden
When the dream dissolves with a hiss
She's an X-ray of a woman
And she walks right out of the film
Unsubstantiated
Unsubstantiated
Hollowly, she whispers, follow me
Hollowly, she whispers, follow me
Ghost in flesh, I can see but you can't see
Decide to see what happens and it comes suddenly
Like an archetype of a lover
In the distance you will stand
And the countryside is all golden
When the dream dissolves with a hiss
Unsubstantiated
Unsubstantiated
Hollowly, she whispers, follow me
Hollowly, she whispers, follow me
The Church's song "Unsubstantiated" describes a surreal experience of a ghost-like figure, who is visible only to the singer. The singer describes her as an "X-ray of a woman," indicating a sense of transparency and fragility, which is further emphasized by her dematerialization and scattering into the air. The song creates a dreamlike ambiance, as the singer describes a journey through Germany with a sense of detachment and passing time. The countryside is described as "golden," which can indicate a joyful or idyllic setting, but when the dream dissolves, it results in a "hiss," suggesting a sudden and disillusioning end.
The ghostly figure invites the singer to follow her, but the invitation is described as "hollow," indicating a sense of emptiness or insincerity. The song can be interpreted as an exploration of the ephemeral and illusory nature of life. It suggests that our experiences are often insubstantial and fleeting, like a dream that dissolves into thin air.
Line by Line Meaning
Ghost in flesh, I can see but you can't see
The singer can see something that others can't
As we begin our descent into vanity
The singer is noticing a descent into shallow behavior and values
She's an X-ray of a woman
The woman being described is transparent and easy to read
And she walks right out of the film
The woman being described is breaking the boundaries of the situation
Dematerializes slowly
The woman is disappearing slowly
Scatters into the air
The woman is breaking apart and disappearing completely
Unsubstantiated
The woman's presence is not grounded in reality
In the end, I can see but you can't see
The artist has insight that others don't
The train is gone, we're alone in Germany
The people in the situation are isolated and abandoned
And the countryside is all golden
Despite the bleak circumstances, there's still beauty to be found
When the dream dissolves with a hiss
The situation will come to an end with disappointment
Hollowly, she whispers, follow me
The woman's invitation to follow her lacks sincerity and depth
Ghost in flesh, I can see but you can't see
The singer has a unique perspective
Decide to see what happens and it comes suddenly
The singer is taking a risk and unsure of what will happen
Like an archetype of a lover
The person or situation being described fits a stereotypical mold
In the distance you will stand
The situation involves someone or something distant
Unsubstantiated
The situation lacks grounding in reality
Hollowly, she whispers, follow me
The invitation to follow lacks sincerity and depth
Contributed by Emily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jon Torney
One of their finest pop experiments buried deep on the obscure soundtrack for "Tequila Sunrise"
Paul Wilson
Popular mainsrream movie and ost. Not obscure.
FegWaHi
Great song with hints of their pre Heyday era. From the rare 2 CD Priest=Aura release.
Diabolical Quantum Mechanic
Great band! Thanks for posting!
Jamie Reno
Wow. I had no idea this song existed. Great song. Pretty cool soundtrack. I remember the movie well. https://www.discogs.com/Various-Tequila-Sunrise-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/master/190117