Ah, the return of the Australian / alien weirdo-classic rock act! I’ve been reviewing these guys for quite a while now, and I have to say that they’ve slowly but surely won me over. I have a fondness for classic rock, and I really like bands who put themselves…out there, as The Neptune Power Federation have done.

They’ve been plying their idiosyncratic trade for close on to 15 years or so, and this represents their sixth album. As you might expect from a band with such a lengthy discography, they’ve got their music pretty much nailed down – it’s classic riffs, pop-hooks and the inimitable vocals of Screaming Loz Sutch lighting up the joint.

In fact, “Goodnight My Children” turns up the numbers on a couple of dials since 2021’s “Le Demon De L’Amour”: the riffs and the catchiness. From the moment that the aptly titled “Let Us Begin” leapt out of the speakers, I was immediately bowled away by how catchy the whole thing was. Like some kind of bastard child of AC/DC, Orange Goblin and Queen, with just a dash (and no more, thankfully) of the poppy-bombast of Kiss. Frankly, I thought that it was going to be all over from that point, as the quality of the opener was top-notch. Wrong. If anything, the album goes from strength to strength. “Lock and Key” is equal parts sleazy rocker and power ballad, with some more of those infectious AC/DC riffs dashed about. “Twas a Lie” is an airy little ditty, but with some simple yet powerful rhythm work backing it up.

There are numbers here that are really going to work wonderfully in a live setting. My personal favourite on the album, “Betrothed to the Serpent”, which impossibly manages to somehow bring to mind Transvision Vamp and Rose Tattoo in one song, has a clap-along introduction that’s going to be impossible to resist on the stage. Album closer and title track “Goodnight My Children” is fittingly overblown, with overdubbed vocals and a huge swollen sound.

There’s plenty here for a good time and an engaging listen. It’s not particularly (or really, at all) heavy metal, but it’s infectious, and it’s fun, and it’s going to put a smile on the face of all but those of the hardest of hearts. The production is full and filling, the songs brilliantly written and recorded. Perhaps best of all, at just eight tracks long, it leaves you wanting more. In the event that this unhinged crew come playing anywhere near, I’d advise getting along to them; my suspicion is that this material is built for the stage.

Good stuff, and a welcome ray of sunshine in seemingly endless rain.

(8/10 Chris Davison)

https://www.facebook.com/theneptunepowerfederation

https://theneptunepowerfederation.bandcamp.com/album/goodnight-my-children