Few Australian bands have managed to gain large audiences and commercial success outside their homeland in the 1990s. Critics down under claim it's the "tyranny of distance," that Australia is simply too far away from the rest of the record-buying world, which keeps many Aussie acts from making it overseas.

But if you believe the critics (not to mention the usual hype), the trio Even may be the next great act to emerge from Australia. And if their live shows are as ripping and energetic as their performance here last Friday at Sun Hall, then Even is well on its way to building a big overseas fan base.

Their May 7 show marked the launch of Even's first ever tour of Japan, where their second album, "Come Again," is being released on BMG Japan this week. The tour will see the band play clubs in Tokyo and Nagoya, and headline the Mukogawa Dance of the Banks outdoor music festival in Kansai.

Even's sound evokes the halcyon era of the late '60s and early '70s melodic pop rock with a big '90s sound taking unabashed cues from acts such as the Beatles, Small Faces and The Who.

Their second album, "Come Again," released on Rubber Records/BMG in 1998, is a beautiful rock 'n' roll flashback with a sound that is equal parts raucous, rock 'n' roll, stomp and sugarcoated sing-along melodies. Hammond and Wurlitzer organs swirl amid a dense fog of electric and acoustic guitars.

Even is Australian, but if you didn't know better, one listen to "Come Again" might leave you thinking the band was English, from the Britpop school of bands such as the Charlatans, Hula Shaker and the Verve. They've even attracted comparisons to Oasis.

"When you're thinking about your own music you can't be that objective about it," said Ashley Naylor, Even's singer and guitarist. "I mean, when people say 'You sound a little bit like this, a little like that,' and you think, 'Well, do we?' It's all relative to what that person listens to."

Even formed in 1994 while Naylor and drummer Matthew Nettor were gigging with various bands in Melbourne, Australia. They hooked up with bassist Wally Kempton, a member of the popular punk 'n' roll band the Meanies, who was looking for a new project.

The band produced two EPs, "In Stereo" and "Ten to Forty-Six," followed by the critically acclaimed album "Less Is More," released in 1996. Even spent the next two years touring extensively, managing to put out another EP, "One Side Not," while writing songs for "Come Again."

"At least half of ['Come Again'] was written over an 18-month period," Naylor said. "There was no grand plan, and we didn't have too many songs. We had just barely an album's worth, which was good in the sense that we worked as if every song was definitely going to make it to the album."

Where "Less Is More" had a raw, electric guitar sound, "Come Again" finds the band spreading its wings and makeing a richer, more sophisticated and varied record.

"I think with the first record, you're usually a bit too chicken to do anything but what you sound like live," added Wally Kempton. "We had already built up a bit of a following at home, so we probably thought we could afford to throw caution to the wind and actually do a record that had a bit of variance in it."

Even are planning to record a third album later this year. Before they head into the studio, they'll tour Australia and New Zealand again. Prior to the start of their Japan tour, the band had spent the past 10 weeks touring Europe.

"When we get home to Australia, we're just going to have a little time off this summer, because we've been hard at it touring," said Kempton. He added that he expects Even will return to Japan for a short string of dates in November.

As Even continues to expand its overseas fan base and bask in the praise of music critics, the members ultimately judge their music and success on their own terms.

"We're not going to bust our [backs] to make it happen. We're just having a good time," said Naylor. "If we have a small following in many places, to me, that means more than being massive in Australia and having a three-year career. It's nice just to let it snowball and see where it takes us."