And so ends Pavement’s grand reunion experiment. No new songs, no glorious farewell, no surprises – the biggest surprise is that they reformed at all. It’s back to the day jobs, which in this case means more lengthy axe-work from Stephen Malkmus and his Jicks, right? Well, no actually. ‘Mirror Traffic’ is a happy reminder that his melodic talents weren’t just confined to the 90s. Busting out with breezy opener ‘Tigers’ is a smart move, since it’s one of the paciest, most upbeat numbers of his solo oeuvre to date. It’s followed by ‘No One (Is As I Are Be)’, a deliciously understated psych-folk ballad, and the hilarious blowjob referencing clatter of ‘Senator’. We’re four tracks in before The Jicks’ proggier leanings really kick out the jams, and even then there’s plenty more pop to be found. The scuzzy rush of ‘Tune Grief’ adds to the feeling that this might be Stephen’s most Pavement-esque solo record thus far, but it’s unclear whether that’s down to recent endeavours, a sterling production job from fellow slacker icon Beck, or a general quirk of fate. What is patently obvious, however, is that this is his most immediate and consistently engaging record in years, which trumps nostalgia every time.

Will Fitzpatrick