Despite sounding like a movie theatre, Multiplex are in fact a UK IDM act comprising of Christian and Roland Dormon. Xpand, the duo’s first release in three years, is also a finely crafted album of melodic electronica that improves with every listen.

Umbilical opens in style, with dreamy waves of sound interupted by warbling fluctuations and pretty melodies. Stone Mackell follows with equal style, a moodier effort, galvanised by precise programming and micro-melodies - Multiplex masterfully create slow building ambiences that have you craving more. Breathe In is another quality track; again small ever-present melodies flutter around twitchy percussive elements – and on this occasion, wistful vocoded vocals.

Every track on Xpand holds true to a particular atmosphere – each subtley different from another, yet affixed to a consistently warm timbre. Some parts remind me Aphex Twin’s early ambient recordings – although Xpand is definitely more melodically inclined. What impresses me most about Multiplex is that Christian and Roland Dormon perfectly understand the principle of “less is more”, rarely cluttering the production with complex programming and allowing plenty of room for the compositions to breathe.

I’ll be honest and say that some of the latter tracks on Xpand are not quite up to the same standard as the first five or six, but Multiplex still save the best for last on the magnificent closing title track, a 9-minute journey of perfectly balanced harmonies and beats, that makes lovely background listening to relax or work to.

Every time I play Xpand it just seems to get better and better; it’s probably one of my favourite electronic albums of the year.