Album Review: The Night Flight Orchestra – Give Us the Moon (Napalm Records)

Acclaimed Swedish rockers The Night Flight Orchestra are set to release their seventh studio album and Napalm Records debut, ‘Give Us the Moon’, on January 31st, 2025.

Take your seat, fasten your seatbelt, stow those electronics, and put your tray table in the upright position, The Night Flight Orchestra are back and back with another album of fun AOR worship called Give Us the Moon.

Do they really need an introduction? You’d have to be living under a rock to not know who this band is, but just in case you’ve actually been living under a rock, The Night Flight Orchestra play retro rock music designed for arenas, not just acutely accessible, but undeniably anthemic. They are a supergroup, featuring members of high-profile bands such as Soilwork, Arch Enemy and Mean Streak, and although they’ve been around since 2007, they’ve really risen to prominence in the last few years.

Why? Their infectious rock sound, their positive outlook, their ‘have fun’ attitudes (that really translates to the stage), and a willingness to not take themselves seriously. Though, that shouldn’t be confused with their sound and style being a ‘joke’. It’s not, it’s just all a bit of fun.

Case in point? Following an intro that has an airport announcement calling the band members to their gate, we’re off and rolling with the starry sound of Stratus. As the ending to this danceable effort says, ‘sit back and relax, it’s going to be a long and interesting flight’.

Which is mostly true.

Shooting Velvet, Like the Beating of a Heart, Melbourne, May I? and Miraculous keep the frolicking fun front and centre. The Night Flight Orchestra reaching deep into their bag of tricks and pulling out gold-plated riffs, more hooks than you might find at a bondage party, vocals and lyrics made for big singalongs, lovable choruses’ that wouldn’t sound out of place on a theatrical stage, and an unforgettable amount riotous soloing. It’s all very enjoyable, not always immensely memorable, but the first half of the album does fly by, which is a good sign.

Especially as the middle-ish track, Paloma, is so delightful. The synth is strong in this one, the vocals are very powerful, and when it rocks up, it becomes such a harmonious anthem.

Having fun? You’d have to be a right misery-guts to not find at least a handful of tracks lovable. Get your ears around the prog-tinged eccentricities of Cosmic Tide, the foot-tapping title track, the silly funk-infused theatrics of A Paris Point of View, the retro rocking Runaways, and the energetic Way to Spend the Night. Not everything here is gold, but there’s nothing to turn the nose up at, either. It’s just The Night Flight Orchestra doing The Night Flight Orchestra things.

Yet even they can step out of their comfort zone occasionally, and with the finale of Stewardess, Empress, Hot Mess (And the Captain of Pain) they do exactly that. A near-eight-minute showcase of excitability, dramatics, catchiness, and big arena rock thinking (it sounds made for the live environment).

Fans are going to love this, and likely crow about it as loudly as ever, rightfully so. However, critics won’t find much to change their minds. It’s The Night Flight Orchestra and having fun is still the name of the game.

The Night Flight Orchestra – Give Us the Moon Track Listing:

1. Final Call (Intro)
2. Stratus
3. Shooting Velvet
4. Like the Beating of a Heart
5. Melbourne, May I?
6. Miraculous
7. Paloma
8. Cosmic Tide
9. Give Us the Moon
10. A Paris Point of View
11. Runaways
12. Way To Spend the Night
13. Stewardess, Empress, Hot Mess (And the Captain of Pain)

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