As indie pop became glossier and more fleshed out in the 1990s, few bands embraced its minimal, melancholy origins like the Cat’s Miaow . Formed in Melbourne in ’92 by songwriters Bart Cummings and Andrew Withycombe, they would soon be joined by singer Kerrie Bolton and drummer Cameron Smith. Mostly avoiding live gigs to concentrate on the recording studio, they churned out tunes like a hardcore band, releasing a litany of cassettes and singles stuffed with lo-fi, delicate pop songs rarely longer than two minutes. All of them were built on the foundation of quietly chiming guitars, brush-smacked drums, and Bolton’s crystalline singing that always seemed on the cusp of shattering, recounting tales of youthful heartbreak and longing. The band petered out by the end of the decade, exploring a more trip-hop/ambient sound under the name Hydroplane after Smith’s departure, with the Cat’s Miaow seemingly destined for obscurity.…