Post-Rock, Math-Rock, Brain-Rock, Chinstroke-Rock. The movement that sought to rip up the verse/chorus/verse rock ‘n’ roll rulebook by employing the holy guitar/bass/drums trinity in service of the type of uncompromising boundary-pushing hitherto spotted only in the frown-favouring annals of ‘serious’ experimental music, launched by Slint et co in the early 90s, has had as many handles as it’s had detractors.

In recent years, instrumental rock – for that’s what this stuff essentially is – has taken more extreme forms, with bands such as Battles and Vessels making the most of their explosive dynamics whilst taking cues from the all-conquering heaviness of Metal and the hyperactive everything-all-the-time action of certain sweat-drenched factions of dance music in an effort to locate listeners who would most likely refuse to go anywhere near vocals-dodging fare under normal circumstances.

The Pattern Theory prefer a delicate whisper to a frenzied scream. As such, the Berlin-based, Leeds-born trio’s debut album’s something of a blast from the past, a welcome reminder of the days when Tortoise and lesser known ‘old school’ Post-Rock bands ala The Mercury Program dared to forego hyperactive chops displays, opting instead to squeeze every drop of atmospheric potential from a particularly pretty chord sequence or ringing riff. There are tinkling vibraphones and xylophones aplenty and the tunes tend to linger around the same handful of themes in an effort to locate a genuinely hypnotic counterpoint to arms aloft rock action. But the Pattern Theory’s never less than thorough grasp on tunecraft and economic approach to dynamics guarantee this is no mere nostalgia trip or a copycat campaign to recycle old tricks.

Although the tracks sound suspiciously similar on paper (basically, The Pattern Theory tend to move from a technically advanced opening riff to outbreaks expansive beauty that resemble a musical equivalent of gazing at a particularly pretty sunset), the album as a whole proves a winningly compelling, consistently impressive listen. Listeners who insist on regular doses of pyrotechnics may be left underwhelmed. Compared to the borderline ADHD hyperactivity and idea-bingeing mania of some of their high-profile colleagues, however, The Pattern Theory’s willingness to swap showing-off for savouring every startlingly beautiful passage (and there’s no shortage of those here) in an effort to let the music breathe and evolve unhurriedly couldn’t be more refreshing.