Kite Club

Hometown: Melbourne
Lineup: Nicholas Futcher, Joel Abbott, Kyle Lane, Andre Franco and Aiden McMillan
For fans of: Girls, Belle & Sebastian, The Shins
Key track: ‘Jupiter Smiling’
See them live: 10 July, Workers Club, Melbourne
Connect: Facebook | SoundCloud | Bandcamp| Myspace

We’ve yet to visit our cousins over in Oz since the beginning of UnDiscovered but that’s all about to change with today’s act; say hello to Melbourne quintet, Kite Club.

Helmed by a true romantic in the form of songwriter Nic Futcher, Kite Club have been knuckling down and perfecting their sunbaked indie-pop melodies as a five-piece since 2012, although Futcher’s first release under the moniker dates back to 2010; the Pitchfork-championed extended play, Esoterica.

Three years on from Esoterica and with a throng of talented musicians at his back, Futcher’s voice seems to have grown in confidence and in stature. Where the delightfully choppy ‘Going Swimming’ and more solemnly chugging ‘Downstairs’ offered indie melodrama in spades, new cut ‘Jupiter Smiling’ suggests Kite Club have cracked the perfect pop formula.

Pulled from their forthcoming first full-length Fresh Air For Humans, ‘Jupiter Rising’ grafts summertime memories onto cheerfully plinking pianos, yearning open highway guitar lines and playfully trashy beats. The track was produced by esteemed Aussie engineer Jean-Paul Fung who boasts credits on Snakadaktal, Last Dinosaurs and Theophilus London records.

Evocative of skinned knees, rocket lollies and begging your parents for just five more minutes playing in the dusky park; it’s irrepressibly shiny and although there are elements of pure bubblegum pop on display – Futcher’s zealous falsetto, peppy acoustic thrumming etc. – ‘Jupiter Rising’ never becomes too trite or cloying. Essential summer playlist material.

Fresh Air For Humans is slated for release late 2013.