Fully inhabiting the laidback cool of R&B and soul, Sydney ensemble Winston Surfshirt hinge on the silky keyboard grooves and soothing vocals of leader Brett Ramson. “Ali D”. from the band’s 2017 debut, Sponge Cake, also folds in throwback funk and hip-hop touches, all while Ramson moves freely between romantic falsetto and breezy rapping. Yet there’s a classic feel to these tunes that has found dedicated fans in songwriting heavyweights like Elton John, who introduced Winston Surfshirt’s music to Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe. Also boasting a flair for genre-bending collaboration, the band have linked up with rappers Genesis Owusu and Talib Kweli, alt-rocker DOPE LEMON and dance duo Cosmo’s Midnight with equally appealing results. The connecting thread through all of that diverse work is the beachy warmth heard on 2019’s sample-ready “Smile”.