In order to plug that awkward gap between the release of album one and album two, Melbourne’s Crayon Fields decided to release a 7” in late 2008.

They went with a release called Mirror Ball, the title track of which is a spectacular example of what the band do: deliriously catchy dream pop that combines the 60s ingredients of The Byrds and late 60s Beach Boys with the production expertise of Motown or Phil Spector.

Despite the song’s very dubious line: ‘I look at you and suddenly I’m a virgin in a dance hall’, this is gentle and soothing pop at its best, imagine a cross between M83 and The Zombies, all coming out of a young man’s bedroom in Melbourne.

The EP was a follow up to their 2006 debut album Animal Bells. Neither have been released in the UK, a situation they have remedied with their forthcoming new record, All The Pleasures Of The World which, if new single ‘Voice Of Paradise’ (which marks their first UK release, a 7” on the Passport label) is anything to go by, is an admirable continuation of that chamber pop theme, with echoes of Perth-dwellers The Sleepy Jackson as well as one of Melbourne’s most famous ex-residents, Crowded House in its textures and melodies.

Crayon Fields venture over to the UK this spring to perform here for the first time, although band leader and songwriter Geoff O’Connor once played Bush Hall with his other band, Sly Hats (“I thought it was a nice place,” he says). Sly Hats, also rather fascinating, make an appearance in London this April too.

“Very much so,” says O’Connor when asked how high on his list of priorities UK exposure is. “We’d love to be able to spend a lot of time there. It would be lovely to have an excuse to go to Copenhagen and Malmo a couple of times a year. Touring is something I’d love to do as much as possible.”

Crayon Fields formed in 2001 when O’Connor met bass player Bret Hudson in high school, before picking up Chris Hung on percussion and drummer Neil Erenstrom to complete the current line-up after a bit of band membership tinkering down the years (their old drummer left to become a tree surgeon in 2005). They were fortunate in that they found themselves in the Australian city most sympathetic towards flowery and twee imaginative types. Melbourne, of course, has a glowing history of intriguing pop from Hunters and Collectors to Midnight Juggernauts.

“Melbourne has been very kind to us,” says O’Connor, “there are so many beautiful venues and musicians, we are blessed with some very fine bands over here.

“Australian music is in very good shape, Melbourne has the ideal conditions for forming a band in that it is crawling with obsessive people with a lot of time on their hands.”

The first album received the glorious fillip / kiss of death of a positive review from Pitchfork, which “certainly meant we had more interest from overseas”, and importantly, that exposure and a growing profile in their homeland allowed them to put this new LP together with more elaborate organisation. The themes, says O’Connor, are “romance, vanity and humiliation.”

“It’s more of an assertive, hi-fi record, we hope. I guess we have spent a lot of time perfecting the arrangements and sounds. There are ‘real’ string sections, choirs and bongos this time.

“We have certainly been a lot more ambitious with it. I guess having some sort of budget has meant we’ve been able to do everything we couldn’t previously afford to do. For instance, while we have still recorded a lot of it ourselves, it’s been quite a luxury to have someone help with production.”

One of the key ingredients in the Crayon Fields sound – aside from that swishy Wilson-esque production – must be O’Connor’s beloved 12-string. It is from this that he and his band tap into that ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ vibe that they so lovingly reinterpret. “Echo and the Bunnymen and The Byrds,” O’Connor cites as his 12-string heroes, “I love spooky 12-string riffs.”

Crayon Fields then, are nothing if not derivative – and that’s not a criticism by any means. A whole host of 60s acts have been thrown their way, like indeed The Zombies or The Move. We could add the Paisley Underground scene to that list too - Mazzy Star et al - as well as This Mortal Coil. More contemporary points of reference could be Loney, Dear or The Figurines. And inevitably for a band who are melodic and a bit floaty, Belle and Sebastien have come up…

“While I quite like them, I don’t understand that comparison at all,” says O’Connor. “60s acts maybe, though I don’t aim for a retro sound. We do love harmonies though, which were quite big in the 60s.

“I love the mid to late 70s Lou Reed albums, and everything by Dory Previn. I’ve become infatuated with Mecca Normal recently too.”

Typically, Crayon Fields are unable to make a proper living out of music, even if their songs warrant it. O’Connor has a couple of part-time jobs, which may have to be ditched to make way for the forthcoming trip to Europe… followed by Japan…followed by the US.

“I’ve just been working a run of 12-hour days so I can blow some money on Europe,” says O’Connor. “I’ve been trying to think of ways I can find a new life as a gardener/caretaker type, perhaps for a small town mansion. Sounds peaceful.”