After earning comparisons to Nirvana and Oasis with 2002’s grungy Brit-pop tour de force Highly Evolved (remember “Get Free”?), The Vines found themselves drawing unwanted scrutiny for nonmusical reasons—namely, vocalist/guitarist Craig Nicholls’ bizarre and sometimes violent onstage behavior. (It came out later that he has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.) Those antics overshadowed the Australian band’s music, especially 2006’s underrated, Supergrass-in-the-garage Vision Valley. But the new Melodia isn’t a bad reminder of what made The Vines so exciting in the first place.

With Evolved producer Rob Schnapf at the controls, the band’s grunge tendencies dominate on songs such as “Braindead” and “Scream,” in the form of Nicholls’ unavoidably Cobain-like screams, bashing drums and rumbling guitars. Sunny, psychedelic harmonies dominate the standout “Orange Amber,” while “Hey” is a glorious, 90-second power-pop burst and “He’s a Rocker” apes the accent, attitude and jaunty rock of Blur’s ’90s heyday.

The only true misstep is “True as the Night,” a string-filled, six-minute acoustic opus that’s bloated and tedious, reinforcing that The Vines are best when they keep it short and sweet. While Melodia isn’t very memorable after the fact, it’s a pleasant enough diversion while it’s happening.

The bottom line: ***