It might seem uncharitable to call a band “meat and potatoes” but let’s face it, there’s nothing that fills you up better. When executed by skilled craftsmen, well, there’s nothing I’d rather be eating. 

Invisible Rays, one of Boston’s best power-poppers, are a band I can trust to cater to my appetites: hard-charging, energetic rock n’ roll earworms in the tradition of Big Star, The Replacements and The Lemonheads. This week, the Rays return with “Interstellar Sweetheart,” their first single since 2023’s sublime Sequin Dream. 

The track glances at glam with a T. Rex-y strut and far-flung lyrics about alien girls with plasma eyes invading our galaxy. Singer Sam Worthington has hewn pretty close to street level in his lyrical territory, so to hear him sing about hijacking a warp-speed spacecraft feels seismic. 

As ever, the band brings a muscular sound that grounds the spaced-out subject matter. Danny Boyd’s drums and Greg Witz’s bass keep things moving at a healthy clip and give Cooper Loughlin room to bring some elegant chiming riffage where needed. 

“Interstellar Sweetheart” is streaming on all platforms in the observable universe.