When Christian alternative rockers The Choir first emerged from Southern California in the mid-'80s, the band didn't sound that different from their moody secular counterparts. Dusky swoons driven by Derri Daugherty's reverb-soaked riffs and empathetic vocals drew comparisons to U2's earnest rock and The Church's rain-streaked psychedelic jangle. Through the decades, The Choir have maintained this melancholic vibe, thanks to drummer/lyricist Steve Hindalong's willingness to mine his emotional highs and lows. On 2018's bittersweet, string-swelled "Birds, Bewildered", he even elegantly describes the dissolution of his marriage.