"One day a girl found a message in a bottle," the Chicago pop quartet Very Truly Yours writes by way of evoking its sound. "The message was from a person she'd never met in a place she'd never been. Every day, the girl would read the message and every night she would write a song. She would imagine all the things the person would do, the things they would see and the sounds they would hear." Eventually, the girl takes all of the songs, puts them in a bottle and throws it into the ocean where she found the original message, but not before enclosing a letter signed -- you knew this was coming -- "Very Truly Yours."

Cute in that "Danger! Kimya Dawson/'Juno' soundtrack" way, guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Kristine Capua, guitarist Lisle Mitnik, bassist Dan Hyatt and drummer Andy Rogers redeem themselves from falling on the wrong side of twee via the undeniable appeal of the gentle, romantic and lilting melodies of songs such as "Every Little Word" and "Homesick."

Formed last August with the goal of crafting what the group calls "end-of-summer-going-into-winter pop," the band made its recorded debut on a split CD with the British pop band the Understudies, and it's gearing up to release its second single this summer. You can sample a healthy selection of its tunes at www.myspace.com/verytrulymusic, or catch the combo live April 9 at the Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake, on Thursday.