It’s hard to believe that after decades of leading Midnight Oil, this is only Peter Garrett’s second solo album. The True North is sparser and quieter than 2016’s more rock-based A Version of Now, allowing the singer and erstwhile politician’s distinctive vocal flair and dynamic lyrics to take center stage. Backed by his band The Alter Egos, which includes Oils guitarist Martin Rotsey and members of The Jezabels and Guy Sebastian’s band, Garrett continues to address pressing matters of environment and humanity. Over a spacey backdrop that heightens his natural theatricality, the opening title track calls out the impact of colonization on First Nations culture in Australia: “It’s the oldest living human story/Rent asunder by brute authority.” The stormy seven-minute epic “Innocence Parts 1 & 2” argues that it’s not too late to make change, while “Meltdown” meditates on the escalating threat of global warming. And though the closing “Everybody” tackles how people will reframe their own inaction about such issues, Garrett also signals that there’s still time—and hope—for a course correction.