From left: Alex Kerns, Max Gregor, Sheena Ozzella. Image from the artist’s website.

Hey, check this out: Semi-local indie pop group Lemuria have a preview of their new album, The Distance Is So Big, streaming over at NPR Music.

The trio features D.C. resident Sheena Ozzella on vocals/guitar, along with drummer/vocalist Alex Kerns, who lives in Buffalo, and bassist Max Gregor, who lives in Austin. How they make that work is a mystery, but nonetheless astounding. The new record, which was recorded with Jawbox and Office Of Future Plan’s J. Robbins, is somewhat of a departure from Lemuria’s past two full-lengths, 2008’s Get Better and 2011’s Pebble. The album opens with 40-some seconds of droney whispers and howls before cutting out and diving into the real opener, “Brilliant Dancer;” a sweetly somber yet driving power-pop anthem, rife with enough catchy hooks to hang an entire wardrobe.

But as stark and powerful as the opening of the album is, it still has all of the trademarks of Lemuria’s unique sound: Twee (but not overbearingly so), melodic poppy ballads that tell bittersweet stories of everything from complications of life to complications of love. With Ozzella and Kerns alternating verses atop heavy, inviting riffs, the album resembles a sort of marriage between the melodic sweetness of Rilo Kiley and the breezy, warm tones of The Lemonheads, with a touch pop-punk progressions to give it a hearty drive throughout.

The album officially drops on June 18th, and Lemuria will be playing one of three album release shows in D.C. at The Black Cat on June 22. Details here.