Before Martin Craft moved to England and joined Jarvis Cocker’s touring band, he played in Sidewinder, a significant four-piece that was part of a rich local scene alongside acts like Drop City, Crow and Smudge in the ‘90s.

Despite releasing some of the most critically lauded albums of the decade ( Atlantis, Tangerine ), Sidewinder quite unjustly never reached the level of recognition they deserved.

While his fellow bandmates continued making music locally, Craft took off overseas and quietly began forging himself a solo career. Now performing as M. Craft, the Australian-cum-London singer-songwriter has taken his music in a different direction to his former indie rock days. Much like his warmly-received debut album Silver & Fire in 2006, Arrows at the Sun is diverse; fusing folk and acoustic pop with an array of influences that range from dance and Latin to Velvet Underground.

The dynamism works, especially on his more upbeat tracks. Young and In Love combines uplifting piano melodies and a swirling orchestral section to give the pop song a soulful, Sixties vibe. Thunder is a little more bold – it opens with a strong soul-flavoured female vocal before the handclap beat launches the song into a similarly nostalgic and sunny pop tune.

Craft is particularly gifted at creating mood and evoking imagery with his ballads. The Last Leaf of Summer is particularly striking – the tinkling piano and layers of distant vocals create a haunting and sparse space – while you could almost imagine that he’s performing the wistful Susie and Me in a smoky, dim jazz club.

Although the second half of the album lags a little, closing track Little Rider shouldn’t be overlooked. Somewhat reminiscent of Neil Young’s Helpless, the song is a simple and gentle conclusion to a well-written and charming album. If Silver & Fire established M. Craft as a solo artist in his own right, then Arrows is convincing proof of his abilities and maturity.

Arrows at the Sun is out now through Spunk.