After a two-year hiatus, Australian alt-pop artist Lenka is on tour again, stopping at the House of Blues at 8 p.m. tonight with a whole new sound. If you know her quiet, down-tempo album Shadows, you may be surprised by new offering The Bright Side, which has a bubbly, pop-friendly sound the singer calls "super-duper happy music."

Inspiration for the snappy, skippy album came, she says, from her toddler’s feet, of all places. Her 3-year-old son Quinn dances and stomps around all the time, she says, lightening the mood in her songwriting."I think that (motherhood) was kind of something I was missing from my life," she says. "Once it happened, even though it's bloody hard work, I just really felt this natural joy and contentment all the time."

Lenka's taking short periods of time away from her family to, you know, be a rock star, which she sees as the best way to balance motherhood and stardom. "I find that's better than having the kid at the venue," she says, adding that she's excited to return to the Bayou City and share her joy and updated sound. "I guarantee that people will be feeling happy, with a smile on their face, when they leave the show."

Tickets are still available for $17 and can be purchased online.