It’s not too often that a band can disappear for half a decade, only to return with their best album in ten years. Yet that’s exactly what indie rock mainstays Built to Spill have done – You in Reverse is every bit as impactful as their 1997 career highlight, Perfect From Now On. That’s quite the achievement.

“Goin’ Against Your Mind” unfurls with an insistent drum beat, a guitar line, a second, then a bass pulse that acts as the platform form which frontman Doug Martsch and fellow guitar noisenik Jim Roth can sojourn down the highway of sonic dreams. It works a treat, and is a great way for Built to Spill to announce their comeback.

At near nine minutes in length, it’s the longest of any cuts on You in Reverse, with the likes of “Traces” and particularly “Saturday” being instant nuggets of indie rock. Yet Built to Spill are, as always, at their best when they’re freewheeling sound, as on “Goin’ Against Your Mind”, or “Wherever You Go”, which is wonderfully constructed, as guitars duel and then settle their differences, and a thick rhythm takes over at some stages before giving over to a more melodic bent. “Conventional Wisdom” starts off like a glorious pop number, before moving into a prog bent.

There’s an undoubted classicism to You in Reverse. It harks not just back to Built to Spill’s best, but also looks to the progenitors of this sort of sound – Crazy Horse is a clear reference point, as they have always been when Built to Spill have been at their best. The spectral vocals of Martsch on the beginnings of “Liar” give way to an outstanding melody, and this is why You in Reverse works so well; not only does it feature some breathtaking guitar work, but also charming (and chiming) pop nous.