Stereophonics ready to Pull The Pin

23/08/2007

Stereophonics return on October 1st with the eagerly awaited 6th studio album ‘Pull The Pin’ – their first release in 2 years. Written by Kelly Jones and featuring the impressive lead single ‘It Means Nothing’, it combines the band’s rockiest and most melodic aspects in one blazing LP that comes out fighting on all fronts. A 12-track tour de force, it looks set to be one of the definitive albums of their incredible ten-year career.

Produced by Kelly and Jim Lowe (Foo Fighters, Manic Street Preachers), ‘Pull the Pin’ is a rock record of epic proportions. Mixed by Spike Stent, whose previous credits include U2, Depeche Mode and Massive Attack, it’s a welcome return for the band and follows a decade of uninterrupted commercial success.

In the eight years between 1997 and 2005, the band – Kelly Jones, Richard Jones and Javier Weyler - have released five hit albums, scored twenty Top 20 hits, racked up multi-million sales and toured relentlessly. After a well-deserved hiatus in 2006, they returned to the studio in Ireland with uncompromising force late last year. "We did ten songs in ten days,” says Kelly. “In the past I'd try so hard to make something right, hone in on every detail, but this time I didn't feel precious or force anything. It just came out naturally.”

“When you have been in a band so long, you tend to know what the next step is going to be before it happens,” according to bassist Richard Jones. “We trust each other, we’re all on the same page. We all just went in and played, and it was like going with the flow.”

Opening with hints of news report soundbytes before accelerating into the all-out rock n’ roll of ‘Soldiers Make Good Targets’, it’s an album packed with potential singles. Highlights include the blistering urban anthem ‘Bank Holiday Morning’ –a live favourite released as an LP taster earlier this summer – plus, the Nick Cave-esque 'Daisy Lane', the electric longing of 'Stone', the acoustic simplicity of ‘Bright Red Star’ and the incandescent ‘Crush’.

“I wanted to say something on this record, to start making story songs again – but with everything I've learnt in the past ten years. It was not to make a political comment, but just to observe what was going on around me in working class, real environments."

The eagerly awaited new single 'It Means Nothing', released September 24th, is another highlight. Inspired by the terrorist attacks in London, it clearly taps into Kelly's own feelings of reconnecting with core values. "You take people for granted every day until something goes wrong. Funerals might be the only time you talk to your family all year.”

“You give a shit about what trainers you wear to work, all the material shit, but you don't really pay much attention to the person you love who walks out the door, and it means fuck all really without that one person."

Instantaneous and razor-sharp, ‘Pull the Pin’ is the band’s most cohesive and relentless record to date. "In these times - when you can download a track before it’s even released - one song can’t be weaker than another, you have to make 'em all stand their own ground," enthuses Kelly.

“There’s a feeling you get when it comes together, like hairs standing up on the back of your neck,” explains Richard. “This almost feels like going back to the beginning, but with added experience. We’ve got the energy, we’ve got the confidence, and we’ve got the songs to show everybody what Stereophonics are worth.”

"I think we've achieved the best parts of the band over the last ten years on one record,” according to Kelly. Enough said.

Their forthcoming live dates are: November
4th BOURNEMOUTH, IC 5th BRIGHTON, Centre 7th MANCHESTER, MEN 9th SHEFFIELD, Arena 11th BIRMINGHAM, NEC 13th NOTTINGHAM, Arena 15/16th LONDON, Wembley Arena 18/19th CARDIFF, Arena 22nd NEWCASTLE, Arena 24th ABERDEEN, ECC 25th GLASGOW, SECC 27th BELFAST Odyssey Arena 28th KILARNEY INEC 29th DUBLIN RDS Hall

www.stereophonics.com

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