Shape by Frente!

Shape, the second album from Australian folk-poppers Frente!, arrived in July 1996, and it's the sound of a band trying to grow up without losing its sweetness. They made it in Spain in 1995 with Cameron McVey and Ted Niceley producing (David M. Allen gets a credit too), a long way in every sense from the homespun charm of Marvin the Album.

Angie Hart still sings like she's letting you in on a secret, and Simon Austin's guitar still leans on the acoustic, but the frame around them tilts toward alternative rock, fuller and more deliberate than the playground pop that made their name. It didn't match the success of the debut, and within two years the band had split, though they have since reunited more than once.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.