The restorative touch of love and nature is a central theme of The Paper Kites’ seventh album. “I get by with the longing of your eyes,” singer/guitarist Sam Bentley admits during the gradual build of opener “Morning Gum,” before daydreaming about finding some good living while following the open road on “When the Lavender Blooms.” As on previous outings, there’s a real coziness to the Melbourne ensemble’s atmospheric Americana, with Bentley’s vocal warmth matched in intimacy by his gentle fingerpicking and his bandmates’ layered instrumentation and vocal harmonies. Yet there’s still plenty of room to explore inside of that framework, with the stripped-back folk of “A Word I Needed More” evoking Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and “Shake off the Rain” hewing more closely to the peaceable patience of slowcore. Other tracks are fuller-bodied by comparison, as rich strands of piano, banjo, and steel guitar sit just right thanks to Grammy-winning mixer Jon Low. Circling back to the radiant romance of the first track, the closing “Borne by You” feels like an intentional finale and bookend, fleshing out another tender love song with gently expanding folk rock.