After twenty years, twenty long years, Sweden’s Lowrider are back. At the turn of the century, the desert rock crown and vacant throne of Kyuss were both theirs for the taking, if they wanted them, but they didn’t, and so, after the release of their first album Ode to Io, their time in the wilderness began.

It’s ended now, and I’m bound to say with happiness and just a little bit of relief that Refractions is undoubtedly worth the wait. One listen to track three, the mountainous Sernanders Krog, will reassure you on that count – but there’s a whole lot more to please the ears on offer here for anyone with a sneaky half hour to fill. Closing track Pipe Rider brings prog and desert together in an almighty, tectonic grind of continental proportions, and that’s not even the best track offered on this sumptuous little six tracker…

Ol’ Mule Pepe gets that particular gong, as it spans the gap between the indie drawl of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Black Sabbath with aplomb and a lot of groovy, bombastic riffage, and if Sun Devil/M 87 is a little, shall we say, ‘of it’s time’ then it’s done so devastatingly well that it actually transcends timecodes and becomes, well, timeless. If you see what I mean…

Indeed timeless is probably the best single word descriptor to use for Refractions; It’s an album that could have been recorded in almost any of the last fifty years, yet sounds as naturally graceful, lithe and relevant today as it might have done had these notes and chords come from the guitar of Leslie West in 1972. This is truly great music for the ages, recorded and distilled by a band that is seemingly inured against the passage of time. Refractions is essential listening for desert rock aficionados, but even if you don’t usually go for that style of music I strongly recommend you give this a go.

Refractions is released on February 21st.