Australian glam rockers Starcrazy are here, and with their debut full-length album, they’ve proven that the nineties are back—and they’re strutting through your speakers in glittery, powerpacked style. While known for their throwback glam sensibilities, Starcrazy surprises, delivering more than a few nods to the sounds of a later era. Their retro-futuristic cocktail blends power pop, alt-metal, and some unpredictable left turns that elevate it above the pack of rock revivalists.

Opening track The Fire kicks things off with a solid rocker that feels familiar, drawing some inspiration from Aerosmith. It’s well-crafted, but doesn’t quite hint at the surprises that lie ahead. Once What It’s Worth hits, though, you know you’re in for something different. With a larger, more expansive sound and even a pinch of bow-legged Britpop swagger—yes, you read that right—the track throws a curveball in the best way possible.

Going Underground – not a cover of the Jam classic, sadly – revives the crunch with some chunky riffage that draws on classic hard rock, but Starcrazy adds their own flavour with funky inflections. So no, it’s not a tribute to Paul Weller, but the band more than makes up for that with a full-blooded performance. The band’s love for unexpected flourishes continues with I Ain’t That Crazy, where they dabble in nu-metal intros before flipping into stadium rock, capped off with an engaging funk chorus. This one’s likely to be the album’s crowd-pleaser, its inventive mix making it the most interesting song so far.

Nighttime, despite the nostalgic touch of a sample from Suburbia (1996), falls into a bit of a lull. It’s not bad, just not as memorable as the surrounding tracks. Caught In A Dream (Again), which hints at a Paisley punk influence, keeps things on the gentler side. There’s not a great deal to latch onto here, althought the chorus is a pleasant earworm. This isn’t a bad track by any means, and it does give the listener a mid-album breather but, knowing how good this band is, you’re still left wanting a little more.

Just when you think you’ve pegged them, the band shifts gears again with Ballad of Philip J. Fry. A quirky tribute to the Futurama character, the Weezeresque vibes offer something completely different, with lush backing vocals that add depth to a strong chorus. The real standout, though, is Another Night. Seemingly connected to Nighttime – if you know anything about the film Suburbia you’ll make the link – it pulls a thematic swerve, exploring the darker reality of meth addiction. The song is hauntingly beautiful, with chiming guitars and a compelling vocal performance that puts Marcus Fraser’s range on full display. This is Starcrazy at their most impressive.

Fanzine delivers pure, unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll, with a strutting riff that wouldn’t be out of place on a Kiss record—complete with cowbell, no less. It’s playful and brash, and you can almost picture Ace Frehley taking it for a spin, though Fraser’s vocals carry a bit more flair. Finally, Jar Of Dirt closes the album on a high note with a clever, airy hymn about escaping city life. It’s driven by light, soaring guitars and another engaging vocal from Fraser that rounds out the album on a reflective yet powerful note.

For a band marketed as glam, Starcrazy dodges almost all the clichés you’d expect. Their link with the nineties gives the album a different edge, leaning more on melodic ingenuity than glam-rock pastiche. With Starcrazy, they carve out a niche for themselves, combining swagger with surprising vulnerability, and a penchant for drawing from influences across eras. The result produced by the always reliable Mo Mayhem (the perfect choice of producer for this band), is a refreshing, high-energy debut that stick in the mind for far longer than the forty minutes the album stays on the turntable.

Starcrazy releases on October 18th