Up is Nottingham-based International People’s Gang’s third album in 15 years, following 3395 (1995) and Action Painting (2006). Their name is inspired by a David Bowie lyric, from the track Panic In Detroit.

The band – comprising of Martyn Watson and Ric Peet - make a good job here of fusing pop and downtempo sensibilities with acoustic rock, folk and even dance music.

The first track to hit you between the eyes is the excellent Second, built around the lyric of Pete Townsend’s composition Blue, Red and Grey. IPG make a great job of surrounding Townsend’s uplifting lyric with heaving rhythms and oceanic synths.

Caught Up In Something, with vocals by Katty Heath, is more downtempo, with strummed acoustic guitars unfurling around tom drums, speech samples and spiky electronic melodies – and its this mesh of acoustic and electronic elements that keeps the album fresh and alive.

Always open to new styles and textures, IPG offers ambient instrumental on Places Des Abbesses, glistening ethereal wave on Son of Still and hippie folk pop on Instant Sideways, feet diving first into involving, organic abstractions.

Angel Delight, meanwhile, has a successful stab at dubby house, with the smooth velvety vocals of Jay Thomas sauntering around IPG’s sparse but magnetic production. In almost complete contrast to that is the soundtrack-styled Space Book, featuring romanticised orchestral strings sweeping over Prince-style electric guitar riffs.

These riffs are particularly effective on the wandering closer 271 The Trencherman, but before that the track Easy – a Nick Drake-type folk song driven by strummed acoustic and spiralling synth lines, joined by pleasing vocals – is another fine highlight.

UP does not go around pulling up trees, but it is a highly satisfying album of very well put together, high-calibre tunes with a pleasing variation of styles throughout – something that you’ll keep in the car for months on end probably, rarely get bored of and can recommend to almost anyone, safe in the knowledge that it will appeal due to its sumptuous range of electro-acoustic songs.