There was a time when The Vines were hyped as the next band to single-handedly save rock. Emerging at the same time as hype bands such as The Strokes, along came this Sydney group of misfits with their debut album Highly Evolved, which critics hailed as the beginning of the next wave of garage rockers. Rolling Stone threw them on their cover with a tagline of “Rock is Back,” while critics raved that they were the next coming of Nirvana and pushing the boundaries of rock with their progressive style.

From the initial stages, the group undertook the usual bar-band ritual of playing a mix of covers and, increasingly, their “dodgy” originals to unimpressed groups of a few dozen fans at local pubs. As the band progressed, songs started to become more structured and better rehearsed. An audience started to grow and people started paying more attention and the group signed with the U.K.’s XL Recordings. Before long, the always-ready-to-anoint English press took notice, and the band’s first release garnered a “single of the week” slot in NME.

While recording their debut, Highly Evolved, at the famed Sound Factory in Los Angeles (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones), Capitol Records president Andy Slater got wind of the Vines’ sound and quickly signed the band to a worldwide deal on his label. To frontman Craig Nicholls’ surprise, the group, which also features rhythm guitarist Ryan Griffiths, went from fast food to the fast track to stardom before even breaking the 80-gig mark. In fact, their first-ever headlining show, at a cramped Sydney pub called the Vic on the Park, was only months before the big time came calling.

“Letterman, NME covers, waking up in a different country every day when you’re on tour, and playing a show in a different country each night to an audience that knows the words to your songs is really fantastic – but it all happened really fast,” the band’s drummer Hamish Rosser explains. Two albums, two EPs and a ‘Best Of’ compilation on, it would seem that The Vines are back after leaving Capitol Records and signing with Ivy League Records. They entered the studio again with Rob Schnapf as producer (who produced the band’s first two albums) in late 2007.

What came from this recording session is Melodia, and what is apparent above all else is that The Vines have gone through career ups and downs but are still rocking out. Like their last studio record Vision Valley, Melodia is a brief whirlwind of tracks that clock in around the two-minute mark and cover a gamut of genres. As varied and diverse as it is, it’s typical Vines territory, with the upbeat thrashers mixed with the stripped-down Beatles-esque tracks. The record is not much that we haven’t heard from the group before, but it’s still unique in the sense that they are one of a few bands who still strip rock down to its raw elements and maintain the style that propelled them to fame in the first place.

Rosser shares his enthusiasm for the band’s new release. “We are really proud of this; we think we have done pretty good. We were really well prepared for this album. During the whole of last year when we weren’t touring, we wrote a lot of songs – they got to a point where we rehearsed them so much, we couldn’t wait to record them. So we went into a studio in Sydney and did some demos and that’s how things started.”

Nicholls has been quoted as saying that there was competitive interest from major labels from the United States, who sent reps into the recording studio to have a listen to the album. He followed his statement up by saying they liked what they heard. The lead single He’s a Rocker received mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. The single held less of the of grungy angst that Vines fans have become familiar with – possessing a sound removed from what inspired NME to dub them “the future of rock.”

The diversity of Melodia shows The Vines aren’t just one-trick ponies. There are the acoustically-driven tracks on the album that show a more introspective side to the band’s songwriting. These are contrasted by the intense blowouts of lead singer Craig Nicholls’. Those tracks recall the cutting sound of Vines classics like Get Free and Ride, cranking up the volume and energy on fizzing standouts like Scream, Braindead and He’s a Rocker.

“This is a much happier album!” explains Rosser. “_Highly Evolved_ was written in the very early days, and this seems like a whole life time on from when we first started. [On] this album Craig was in a lot better headspace and the album is a little more grown-up.”

The band have now played three shows in Australia in promotion of the new album – a promotional event for MySpace, a full length showcase for Channel V and a headlining club show at Sydney’s Manning Bar. The Vines have held a reputation for their energetic performances – and this time around it would seem the band is in the best form they have ever seen. With fans responding well to the live shows immediately, there seems to be no stopping this well-oiled machine.

“We are really looking to playing some shows more then anything else right now,” Rosser explained. “We are playing Splendour in the Grass next month – and that will be fantastic because that festival is always a lot of fun. The last time we played on that bill we were the surprise act and it was great.”

There is little doubt that The Vines are a major drawcard for this year’s Splendour crowd, and Rosser enthuses that the charm of this year’s festival is the eclectic line-up. “This year is amazing – everyone from Devo to the Presets to Wolfmother and The Fratellis. The awesome thing is also that Devo were pioneers of the electro trend – and that’s so huge right now, so it will be great for everyone to see how that translates.”

Melodia is out now on Ivy League Records. The Vines play the sold-out Splendour in the Grass, Saturday 2 August at Belongil Fields.