21 year old skate rat turned home studio producer? Jonathan Boulet’s self-titled debut comes with the benefit of a intriguing back story; but can it possibly live up to the expectation that comes with being signed to the hipper than hipster Modular?

Though the record is largely the product of three years of solo home studio work from Boulet, who plays drums for Sydney band Parades, the music has the ramshackle collective sound of a bunch of musical mates larking about the fire with acoustic guitars, handclaps, chanted vocals and clanging percussion. If this wasn’t obvious from the flare lit cover art it, Boulet quickly welcomes you to join the “come join us/we don’t mind… we’ll dance our cares away”.

There are elements of Animal Collective’s hippy mantra’s, as Boulet avoids choruses opting for circular lyrics and revels in the freedom of his home produced experiments. Yet there’s also a strong streak of Muscles or MGMT as Boulet chants mottos of self discovery with the sort of wide eyed optimism that can only come from a wunderkind with a Modular record deal.

With its opening lyrics “We just want to sing, sing/ We just want to dance/ Take over the whole world/ Just give us a chance,” 321 Ready Or Not could be obnoxious if it wasn’t so joyously innocent. While the prominent bass line on Lay Off The Streets For A While points to another home studio kid with a knack for a genuinely uplifting tune – Tom Vek, whose 2005 debut featured the excellent C-C (You set the fire in me) single.

On 10 Billion Years he’s joined by fellow Parades member Bec Shave for the album’s most touching moment as the pair team for a tender duet. You Never Knew Me has a Radiohead influenced darker edge with Boulet mirroring Thom Yorke’s disinterested delivery (“Don’t talk to me about loyalty”) as a chiming piano rages against a skiffling guitar and howling feedback.

Though not everything works – the dour Latch Key Kids Unite with its violin dirge is a misguided ‘serious moment’; the cluttered After All betrays far too much of its home studio birth; and the instrumental Adam of Zilla sees Boulet recalling the legions of Four Tet imitators with an uninspired collection of loops and filtered, skipping effects.

Calling card, and album highlight, A Community Service Announcement is saved for the end of the record with a genuine earworm of a keyboard melody ensuring that Jonathan Boulet will be a name on the lips of many young music fans and advertising execs. “Here we are, we are/ Are we on top?” Boulet queries; perhaps he’s not quite yet on top, but there’s more than enough talent on this debut to announce a new star on the Australian scene.