Album Review: Stereophonics – Make ’em Laugh, Make ’em Cry, Make ’em Wait

Welsh legends Stereophonics have been consistently releasing albums since the mid-nineties, and have showed no signs of slowing down. Despite singer Kelly Jones publicly sharing his troubles with vocal polyps at the turn of the 2020’s, the band have maintained their output throughout. From their critically acclaimed debut Word Gets Around, to their 2005 smash-hit album Language.Sex.Violence.Other? that saw their first number one single Dakota, the band have continually added, reimagined, and exceeded expectations with the discography, leading to this year with the surprisingly short, but by no means lacking Make ‘em Laugh, Make ‘em Cry, Make ‘em Wait.

Make It On Your Own is a surprisingly tender and anthemic opener, the piano and strings melding seamlessly with the drums and guitar. Kelly’s voice soars as always over the instrumentation, his crooning adding its unique gravitas to the lyrical themes of escape and transformation. Singles There’s Always Gonna Be Something and Seems Like You Don’t Know Me offer opposite sentiments and styles, the former being pop-rock perfection while the latter keeps the tempo but lets synths and a drum machine lead the way. Colours of October is a gorgeous waltz, a hint of Procol Harum organ under the verses and airy orchestral passages in the choruses. It’s over far too soon, but Eyes Too Big For My Belly’s bluesy groove and unapologetically humorous lyrics make up for the pervious song’s lack of an extended runtime.

Mary Is A Singer is a country-tinged ballad, pulling from a long line of rock songs about woman is bands. It’s a love song that feels nostalgic but youthful at the same time. Backroom Boys feels like a continuation, Kelly singing about sneaking into a gig and being awed by the band. Despite being know for his yarns, the song feels genuinely pulled somewhat from his own past, especially with lines like ‘not the time of mobile phones; so I’m free to be and roam’. The final track, Feeling Of Falling We Crave, begins like a traditional folk tune before the band rolls in on a wave of slide guitars and a steady groove. It’s a pretty and satisfying conclusion to a relatively short record.

Album 13 isn’t a step out of their comfort zone, nor is it a step down from their usual greatness. In its incredibly short runtime, the album manages to distill all the genre-jumping elements listeners have come to expect from Stereophonics into concise and enjoyable songs. No matter where you jumped on the band’s bandwagon, there is something here for you.

Ryan Bulbeck

Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.