Little over a year later, Miller-Heidke has blasted away any preconceptions of a sophomore slump with the "experimental, hooky, unashamedly pop'' LP Curiouser.

The opera-trained singer's story is well-known - on the cusp of success with Opera Australia, she spurned the opportunity to concentrate on her own popular music songwriting.

A string of EPs followed - Telegram, Comikaze and the immensely popular Circular Breathing - and her pop star rose.

The 27-year-old has earned a solid fan base in the south-west through some reputedly high-class performances at the Port Fairy Folk Festival.

On Curiouser, Miller-Heidke has replaced her violinist with a second guitarist, mostly moving away from the pop-folk sounds of Little Eve.

It finds the musical theatre performer at her entertaining best, with songs aimed at the head, heart and the feet.

Written with husband, Keir Nuttall, and recorded in LA with producer Mickey Petralia (Flight of the Conchords, Beck, Ladytron), Curiouser sets the bar high on the opening The One Thing I Know.

It crams 1980s synth lines, off-kilter melodies, operatic flourishes and a grab-bag of oddball sounds into a three-minute slice of quirky pop.

Witty infectious lyrics pepper exciting upbeat tracks such as God's Gift To Women (''If you're God's gift to women then God got it wrong - She got it wrong!'').

The first single, Can't Shake It, takes a tongue-in-cheek stab at all those dancefloor "anthems'', while providing its own infectious, booty-shaking groove.

The Last Day On Earth showcases Miller-Heidke's stunning vocal range, over the minimal backdrop of pared-down piano and percussion.

The synth-heavy, pop-culture paean to Triple J's Marieke Hardy, Supergirl, highlights the exuberant, inventive radio pop that maintains a consistent standard over 11 tracks.

More consistent than Little Eve, Miller-Heidke's second album finds her reaching the peak of her powers.

She and her band will play at The Loft in Warrnambool on Wednesday.