Welcome to Dreamland
Church Burglars, the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band, known for blending raw performance with high-concept storytelling, announces the release of their long-awaited new album, Welcome to Dreamland.
A searing commentary on the decline of Western idealism, Welcome to Dreamland blurs the lines between satire, prophecy, and personal confession. From its opening overture to its final elegy, the album guides listeners through a crumbling vision of the American myth — told through a sonic landscape that fuses rock, jazz, psychedelia, and soul.
The album’s first single “Invisible Man” is out now with an accompanying music video — a distorted and haunting visual poem that sets the stage for the album’s overarching themes. The second single “King of Lies” to follow on July 4, a deliberate nod to the contradictions of American independence.
Welcome to Dreamland was written, recorded, and produced independently by the band. Each track functions as both a dream and a warning — with lyrics tackling themes of spiritual paralysis, systemic illusion, and the possibility of personal reprieve.
DREAMLAND’S COVER: Behind the art direction
The band’s visual identity around this project is as bold as its message: a homeless Statue of Liberty crowned in cardboard and cloaked in disillusionment. “It’s a parody of Manifest Destiny,” says frontman Michael Foltz. “She’s holding a sign that says ‘Anything Helps.’ That’s where the empire’s at. That’s the state of the union.”
The subject is Karissa Kelly, a photo artist whose own self-portrait series incorporate elements of drag and intensive character building. Being the honorary visual director for the Church Burglars, and comfortable in front of a camera made her the obvious choice. On a cloudy morning in Burbank, she posed for Michael Foltz as the woman-scorned, The Statue of Liberty. Complete with cardboard signs, a paper crown and laced up boots to suggest what she’d do to save herself, she encapsulates the essence of a terminally ill America.
