With the sound of an organ and streamlined handclaps, Conditions welcomes you into its stadium-sized labyrinth. It’s a far cry for the four Melbournians, who started by following the angular rock trends of the mid-noughties. They amassed fans nationwide with their refrain-heavy track My Sun, consolidating on the promise with their debut eponymous EP.

But three years is a long time in the music business and The Temper Trap’s debut album is proof of this. As Dougie Mandagi sings, “Our love was lost/But now we’ve found it” in Love Lost, his soulful falsetto is reflective and poignant, but confident all the same. With worldwide tours, major record deals, a big-name producer in Jim Abbiss and a well-oiled hype machine, confidence in your sound is a given. Nevertheless, to the outsider Conditions is a polarising record, produced to perfection but built on unashamed pop sensibilities.

This is no more evident than in lead single Sweet Disposition. Sounding like an offcut from An Unforgettable Fire, guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto creates a delay-riddled riff, which underpins the soaring vocals and a heavy drumline. Resurrection, equally, has its place amongst Bloc Party’s back catalogue. Carried by snare-focused drumming, synths and lots of percussion, it’s the sort of lightweight pop experimentation that commercial radio listeners will claim as their own.

The degree of difference between The Temper Trap and their contemporaries – Coldplay, MGMT, Kings of Leon – is their own technical ability. Fader’s Nova-ready pop hook, complete with ordinary guitar solo, is a song that shouldn’t succeed. It traverses the same overdone sounds that pop rock has taken for granted; Eskimo Joe’s Inshalla the latest example. Its fast pace – based upon a perfect mix and the skill of the band’s rhythm section – seals the deal, however. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, nor try to overdo its own sonic and lyrical goals. There’s a palpable amount of professionalism that goes into getting each track right in the band’s (and Jim Abiss’) eyes.

That said, it is still a pop rock record. In a world where the genre equals a death wish, Conditions will have its detractors. Its at-times-shallow inspirations can be heard throughout, from Sly and the Family Stone to New Order. This creates a veil that will simply allow the younger generation to jump onto them with even more vigour, while – œtrue’ music fans continue to scoff.

What the naysayers fail to see is the Temper Trap is not aiming for any sense of musical superiority. Instead, they want to create accessible music without sacrificing credibility. They’re treading this delicate balance with class and finesse. In this sense, Conditions is not unlike the Killer’s Hot Fuss. While thematically divergent, they both share a similar, precisely-executed pop outlook. Down River is much like All These Things That I’ve Done; an acoustic-driven number leading to a suitably epic refrain, reserved for – œinspirational’ encore moments.

For what it’s worth, Conditions may well be the best-produced Australian album in some time. Its success is varied, but in a world where sophisticated mainstream pop music is hard to come by, it’s relieving to see a group like The Temper Trap set the standard so high.

Conditions is out Friday 19 June through Liberator Music.