Though he’s continually releasing invigorating and evolving glammed-up rock, there’s something comforting about Hawksley Workman. At 40, he hasn’t slowed, instead infusing his new solo album with the energy of his banging three-piece band, Mounties, with whom he plays drums. 

Here, he steps away from the kit on his first solo record in five years. Workman has never shied away from his genre-blending artistry, and his songwriting is as sharp as ever. He’s confident in his swagger on Teenage Cats, screaming about how they’re “everywhere these days,” but he’s not lamenting growing old. 

By not wavering from his sexed-up sound, he shows he’s courageous enough not to change. His cabaret leanings return on the poignant I Just So Happen To Believe. And the synth-driven Don’t Take Yourself Away (Instant Nostalgia) builds on Mounties’ radio-ready hooks. But his snarl is still there, loud as ever.

Top track: Teenage Cats

Hawksley Workman plays the Phoenix November 14.