As exciting as it is to discover new bands on the brink of greatness, following the career of an artist with longevity can be even more rewarding. Eight years after the solo debut from Rose Melberg (formerly of Tiger Trap, The Softies and Go Sailor), our indie pop sweetheart returns with a new album on Double Agent Records. Though less cutesy than anything she recorded as a Softie, the songs on Cast Away The Clouds are just as precious as anything in her past.

Opening track “Take Some Time” suggests the layered richness of another songwriter from her generation, Elliott Smith. But there’s an important difference between Melberg’s chorus of “It’s gonna take some time / to fix this love of mine” and similar Smith lyrics like “Killing time / won’t stop this crying.” The title song, with a call to “close up our umbrellas,” speaks of optimism present throughout most of the album, even when Melberg (or whatever persona she’s adopting) finds herself in an undesirable situation.

The only weak element is a smattering of predictable lyrics (e.g. “Sadly I must confess / I’m in a terrible mess”). But each song as a whole is so convincingly honest — maybe that familiarity stems from Melberg’s uncanny ability to tap into a universal sense of heartbreak.