Australian indie band Firetree is set to close out its very first tour on Canadian soil with a show in Whistler at Merlin’s on Friday (Nov. 26), but vocalist Dale Buchan said the group definitely plans to return.

“It’s been really great so far,” he said. “We’ve been really well received — even better than we imagined.”

The five-piece band from Byron Bay, Australia has been on a month-long tour of British Columbia, but the group plans to return in the summer for gigs across the country.

“We only had a month to tour this time,” he said. “But we got such a great response from the venues and audiences that we hope to come back next summer to do the festival scene.”

Centred around Buchan and Josephine Cubis’s vocal harmonies, Firetree plays a hybrid indie folk/pop on its debut four-song EP, The Space Between, but Buchan said the band’s live show and forthcoming full album is beefed up with more of a rock edge.

“Josephine and I have been working together for four years or so,” he said. “The EP, which we launched in Canada at The Cellar in Vancouver on Nov. 11, has more of a ‘cruisier’ sound to it.

“We’ve only been working with the band for about four months now. So, for the live show we’ve taken the songs from the EP and beefed them up. They’re heavier and more danceable now.”

Buchan said the duo’s songs evolved naturally with the various musical influences of the other musicians.

“It all just sort of meshed,” he said. “So, our live show is a bit different from the EP, which was tailored for the folks back home, and the full-length, 12-song CD we hope to have out in 30 or 40 days.”

In fact, the band works so well together that they’ve created more material than they need.

“We have about 10 songs that haven’t even been recorded,” Buchan said.

With its well-known Australian population, Whistler is an anticipated stop for the group.

“We’re very excited,” he said. “Everyone we know who has been here raves about the crowds here.”

It was those glowing reviews of B.C. venues and audiences that originally inspired Firetree to test Canada’s musical waters.

“We actually have a lot of friends — musicians — from back home who finished touring Canada and spoke highly of B.C.,” he said. “We thought it sounded great, and decided to expand and diversify.”

Expand and diversify your own musical tastes and check out Firetree at Merlin’s on Friday (Nov. 27). The band starts at 8:30 p.m. and admission is free.

For more on the band go to www.thefiretree.com.au.