Avalanche City is actually one person: a Kiwi named Dave Baxter who has made an album of delightful folk-pop. There are shades of Bon Iver and The Shins here, along with a sprinkling of Jonsi.

Commendably though, while those influences are discernable, Avalanche City sounds unique, and this album sounds – without wanting to sound too parochial – distinctly Kiwi.

It’s not just the broad New Zealand accent that Baxter sings with, but most of all the sense of dark and threatening space that lurks just out of sight in these songs. Have a listen to Crowded House’s “Kare Kare” if you want to know what I mean – it’s a feeling of foreboding that lurks in a lot of this country’s best art.

That’s not to say that Baxter is in danger of turning into Nick Cave or anything. Most of the songs here display a real lightness of touch. Our New Life Above the Ground is an enchanting album that would be a huge indie success had Baxter been born anywhere else. It’s just our luck that he was born here.

Four and a half out of five stars