It’s no accident that the artwork for Owensie’s third LP bears a more than a passing resemblance to Conor O’Brien’s sophomore effort, ‘{ Awayland }.’

Skewed summer seascapes, made infinite through the eyes of youth, are the focal of both LP sleeves – as is the Villagers frontman himself once you cleave inside.

Admittedly, it’s not quite Darling Arithmetic 2.0 on the opener, I Don’t Mind.

Yes, there’s some fine acoustic fretwork that would coerce the now lesser-spotted hipster into grabbing the closest point of Mongolian-sourced craft ale in unadulterated joy, and yes, O’Brien’s pristine backing vocals float softly through the mix, but Michael Owen stands alone in his approach to song craft.

Looser than O’Brien, Owensie’s tact grants free reign to hone in on an earworm hook, be it on You Are Away or the aforementioned opener, where the Dubliner sings “I don’t mind when I’m doing ok/ but I do mind the sight of my own decay.”

It’s a skill best demonstrated on the LP’s title single, Dramamine, where Owen’s vocals tumble, rise, role and hang on every vowel.

But most impressive of all is the dense atmosphere cast by some sublime production. At the hands of producers James Eager and Dek Hynes, D R A M A M I N E’s songs share an organic bond, one earthen and humid, but of its world. Having missed a trick by dropping this album in the depths of Winter, this is an LP that begs to be played on the most sultry of Irish summer days.

Owensie chops up proceedings at the midpoint, flaunting with a harder and sharper edge on Jennifer, while the heavily layered Scary Eyes does just enough to appeal to connoisseurs of the psychedelic.

D R A M A M I N E inevitably tails off near its close, becoming a little too much of a mirror to the trio of opening tracks. Still, it’s not enough to dampen what is a pleasingly accomplished indie folk record – all with a little help from his friends.