The cult veterans’ latest feathers its nest with more beautifully compelling low-key delights

Variously described over the years as slowcore, alternative, folk-pop minimalists (all wide of the mark), the thing that has tied Low’s 10-album output together has been the bewitching vocal harmonies of Mimi Parker’s gorgeous vibrato and husband Alan Sparhawk’s darker, plaintive tones.

Sparhawk creates some of The Invisible Way’s moodier, more unsettling moments (opener Plastic Cup’s twisted reflection on ageing, ego and our place in history), while Parker evokes sad beauty in the oh-so-gentle piano tumult of So Blue. Their harmonic interplay in the almost a capella Waiting raises hairs too.

On My Own stands out as it plunges headlong into guitar distortion, booming drums and looping chorus for this album’s most dramatic, fuse-blowing moment.

Fans might not find anything as compellingly poppy as Especially Me (from 2011’s excellent C’Mon) nor as thrillingly dark as The Lamb (2002’s Trust) but Low continue to evoke mother nature’s double-edged sword with aplomb; downcast, beautiful delicacy and devastating but understated brutality.

4 stars