The Ocean Party Split

The Ocean Party creates slacker, surf-pop music, but you'd be lucky to find an Australian band whose roots stretch further from the sea. The original group met during high school in the agricultural town of Wagga Wagga before moving down to Melbourne in 2009. Despite a couple of line-up changes to date, the current group (a five-piece) is finalizing their third LP -- Split is due out on September 27.

The first single from the upcoming album just happens to be the title-track, with "Split" one of the more likable songs I've listened to recently. Jangly guitars sway over a meandering beat and mellow, relaxed vocals reminiscent of fellow Melbourne-based Twerps (and, to a lesser extent, Real Estate).

Recorded on a farm near their hometown, the band has taken the approach of having each of the members write and sing on Split, so it'll be interesting to see the variations between tracks. You can check out all their past releases on their Bandcamp.