The Australian band Wolfmother never sounded like the future of rock &roll: They sounded like the distant past of rock & roll,which accounted for their charm. Lots of bands borrow Zeppelin and Sabbath licks, but Wolfmother went further and drew from cruder, greaser bands like Steppenwolf and Blue Cheer, which means they did the late ’60s/early ’70s with less finesse and more fun: Imagine Jack White if he was having too good a time to know or care how cool he looked, and you’d have Wolfmother’s big-haired, high-voiced leader Andrew Stockdale.

Their 2006 debut earned a quick buzz,but as time went on and members got replaced, it got clear that Wolfmother was all Stockdale’s show. So it’s no surprise that the band’s long-delayed third album is now Stockdale’s solo debut, Keep Moving. It’s still proudly retro, and the opening track “Long Way to Go” is a fist-waving , Southern rocker packed solid with guitar and vocal hooks, and an infectious good-timey spirit —Forget Daft Punk, this is the true summer single of 2013. Elsewhere, Stockdale’s pop leanings are more in evidence than usual—we swear that some of this stuff sounds like prime ELO—and if this may not wind up as music for the ages, it sounds pretty engaging right now.

As for the live difference between Stockdale and Wolfmother, there isn’tany: His current touring band features “all the current Wolfmother members,”and the hits “Woman,” “Joker & theThief” and “White Feather” are all promised for the setlist. It is one of those “back to the small clubs” type tours, though; so expect Stockdale and company to charge One Eyed Jacks like a band with something to prove.