In the beginning, spooning was regarded as a comforting activity. Fifteen years, seven albums and one Music From the O.C. Mix One later, Spoon are still serving up their skewed brand of sparse indie-pop to the same comforting effect.

Not much changes in the Spoon household: Britt Daniel’s voice is still sharp and concentrated, the piano parts still repetitive yet somehow unhinged, and their mixture of sombre moods with lively grooves still makes for perfectly listenable television pop.

If anything is new about Transference, it’s a baby step away from the commercial ring of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga towards that rock ‘n’ roll sound which they have always claimed to be making. A slightly meaner Daniel yelps “I’m writing this to you in reverse/ Someone better call a hearse” on the stand-out track ‘Written in Reverse’.

Spoon are content to become the elder statesmen of the genre in as serene a way as possible. Nothing too courageous, but Transference is trustworthy, comforting spooning, and you can’t argue with that.