“The ‘machine’ is consumption; the ‘machine’ is the world we live in… it’s kind of creativity versus the machine, and ‘Evangeline’ represents that creativity.”
Watch the Interview HERE & Hear the Full, Extended Conversation
via the “Sunday Sitdown” Podcast HERE
Church Also Joined Basketball Icons Charles Barkley & Ernie Johnson
on “The Steam Room” Podcast; Listen HERE
Pre-Order/Pre-Save the Album Arriving This Friday HERE
NEW YORK, N.Y. – As the release of his highly anticipated new album Evangeline vs. the Machine approaches this Friday, May 2, Eric Church sat down with Willie Geist on NBC’s “Sunday TODAY.” The two discussed Church’s nearly two-decade journey defined by consistent risk-taking and rule-breaking as he enters a bold new chapter with his most sonically ambitious project yet. Watch the in-depth and wide-ranging conversation HERE, and hear the full, extended interview via the “Sunday Sitdown” podcast HERE.
“In the day we live in now, with all the social media… you can release a song on Tuesday, another song on Friday, another song on Tuesday,” explained Church in the feature. “I’m an album artist, always have been, and I think we’ve gotten away from that now. The ‘machine’ is consumption; the ‘machine’ is the world we live in – and the interesting thing about ‘Evangeline’ is it’s kind of creativity versus the machine, and ‘Evangeline’ represents that creativity.”
Reflecting later in the interview on a short span that included performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival that was tragically impacted by a mass shooting, then facing a life-threatening blood clot and the death of his brother, Church notes, “You can listen to the music, maybe, and you can see that I was brash, arrogant in a lot of ways. But it changes when you have those things happen to you, and I think it made the music more humble, and maybe more observant.”
Church further expanded on the album’s themes during a separate appearance on “The Steam Room” podcast with basketball icons Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson, noting, “Everything I look at today involves kids on iPads and kids doing whatever they do on ‘machines,’ and it’s a little bit of a crux between creativity versus the ‘machine’ that tries to manipulate that creativity.” Hear the full conversation HERE.
Driven by that sense of artistic purpose, Evangeline vs. the Machine expands the legacy of one of country music’s most fearless storytellers. Anchored by lead single “Hands of Time” – which debuted as the most-added song at Country radio and earned Church a new personal record for first-week impact with 135 stations – the album is available to pre-order/pre-save HERE.
Following the release, Church will bring the new music and his esteemed catalog to life onstage with a run of high-profile shows, beginning with two To Beat The Devil residency shows at London’s revered Royal Albert Hall on May 16-17. He will then take over Nashville’s Pinnacle for a sold-out, two-night installment of Evangeline vs. The Machine Live on May 23–24. In July, he heads west for what has become a roughly once-a-decade experience at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where fans can expect a unique set each evening across three sold-out shows: Eric Church vs. The Machine; Eric Church vs. The ECB; and Eric Church vs. The Guitar.
For more information, visit EricChurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter/X @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic.
Evangeline vs. The Machine Track List
Full Credits Available HERE; Songwriters in Parentheses
1. Hands Of Time (Eric Church, Scooter Carusoe)
2. Bleed On Paper (Tucker Beathard, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
3. Johnny (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Brett Warren)
4. Storm In Their Blood (Eric Church)
5. Darkest Hour (Eric Church)
6. Evangeline (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Barry Dean)
7. Rocket’s White Lincoln (Eric Church)
8. Clap Hands (Tom Waits)
About Eric Church
A seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner (including 2020’s Entertainer of the Year) and 10-time GRAMMY nominee – including three nods for Best Country Album, Eric Church has built a passionate fan base through his critically acclaimed catalog of music. Church’s October 2024 release, “Darkest Hour,” saw the superstar signing over all of his publishing royalties to the people of North Carolina to provide immediate relief following the devastation of Hurricane Helene while also providing ongoing funds to support a more resilient future for his home state. The song is featured alongside current single “Hands Of Time” on his forthcoming album, Evangeline vs. The Machine arriving May 2, marking his first new music since 2021’s Heart & Soul triple album (“Stick That In Your Country Song,” “Hell Of A View”). That project followed prior releases including RIAA Gold-certified Desperate Man (“Some Of It,” “Desperate Man”), Platinum-certified Sinners Like Me (“How ’Bout You,” “Guys Like Me”), Carolina (“Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Love Your Love the Most”) and Mr. Misunderstood (“Record Year,” “Round Here Buzz”), Double-Platinum certified The Outsiders (“Like a Wrecking Ball,” “Talladega”) and 4x Platinum-certified Chief (“Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand”), as well as 32 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified songs. Church is also a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, a co-owner of the iconic Field & Stream brand, has his own SiriusXM music channel, “Eric Church Outsiders Radio,” his own liquor offering, Whiskey JYPSI, and recently celebrated the first anniversary Chief’s, his six-story venue on Nashville’s famed lower Broadway.
