It has been a busy year for local artist Gavin Heaney.

The Manhattan Beach-based musician has just returned from a summer tour in Australia (it was winter there), which he described as "a low-key adventure."

Heaney, who performs under the name Latch Key Kid, lived the bohemian dream, playing in 10 cities across Oz, while traveling in a van during the day and crashing on new friends' couches at night.

His adventure continues on Sunday, when he'll release his latest EP titled Wide Open with a concert at Saint Rocke.

The six-track EP was produced, mixed and recorded in Heaney's home studio. He prefers this setup since he cranks out new songs at a blistering pace so it provides the convenience of being able to record when he wants.

He plays an array of instruments including guitar, bass, piano, mandolin, drums and harmonica. This range of music enhances the song structure and makes for a great listen.

Normally when artists try to play so many instruments themselves, the results can often times be disastrous. But not for Latch Key Kid.

He is talented enough to have a thorough understanding of music and the recording process so that each individual instrument doesn't sound like it's been patched together. 

Heaney calls his sound a fusion of Elliott Smith with a splash of Jack Johnson topped off with a dose of the Grateful Dead. But Latch Key Kid doesn't sound like any of the aforementioned artists on Wide Open.

Instead, the songs have a different theme: the endless summer, which is reflected in its tight-knit California surf pop sound. When he first wrote the album, Heaney intended on it to be released during that time of the year.

"I wanted to have a summer, California, sort of like Dick Dale, type of sound," Heaney said. "It also has a bit of a travel theme and that reflects what I wanted to do here. It's pretty lighthearted and I wanted to have some fun writing, and I did."

The EP opens with the title track, which has the California-driven indie-pop sound that has become popular in recent years. The song is easy listening.

Strong melodies combined with a beautiful harmony are solid points of the track and reminiscent to another Southern California band from the South Bay: The Beach Boys.

Heaney said that he wrote the song with a Kalian theme in mind, which combines elements of island reggae and ukulele-driven music. It's this unique blend that makes the song enjoyable.

As Wide Open continues, the tone remains the same. The brand of upbeat pop that influenced this recording is prevalent throughout. 

In addition to Dale and The Beach Boys, there are sounds that are of newer bands, such as Best Coast and Rooney who have elements of surf pop in their music.

As for Heaney, he said that his proudest track on the EP is "Walkabout," because "it's the last song I wrote."

Heaney performs with Joe Gil at 7 p.m. on Sunday at Saint Rocke on PCH. Heaney's songs have been featured in major movies such as "I Love You, Man," TV shows, the music player on Continental airline flights and commercials.