Stereophonics
Bank Holiday Monday

The Stereophonics are heralding the release of their new album "Pull The Pin" (set to release in the autumn of 2007, no specific date yet) with this new single "Bank Holiday Monday," which will be available online only on May 28 and not in the "traditional" format. It's the only (for now) preview of the new album, except for the track presented during the 2005/2006 tour, that "Jayne" which was later included in Jones' solo project "Only The Names Have Been Changed," and therefore presumably won't be part of the new work (despite Kelly and co.'s initial idea to include it).

The Welsh frontman has already revealed some details about the new album; he says it will be a broad overview of the group's past productions, so a mix of pure brit-rock and semi-acoustic American-influenced diversions we've been accustomed to in the past. However, the new single seems to belong to the first category; the method in constructing the piece seems to be the same as the previous album (the controversial "Language. Sex. Violence. Other?"). The song, however, shows a greater incisiveness compared to those contained in the 2005 album; it starts with a strong, energetic intro (drums and guitar are quite prominent) and a frenetic verse (where Kelly's voice is slightly affected) and compelling, leading to a chorus dominated by Jones' shouting (a recurring theme in the Welsh rock pieces).

As stated by the singer, it is therefore an attempt to return to the "raw quality" of "Performance And Cocktails" while maintaining the sounds of "L. S. V. O?" A partially successful attempt, because the sound is indeed that, but the quality of the piece certainly does not reach the heights of high school numbers like "The Bartender And The Thief" or "Just Looking." It remains, however, a good appetizer in anticipation of the main course next autumn.