Welsh rockers roll up their 20th year treading water, with just a dash of inspiration

Proving that rock’s middle of the road has plenty of room and infinite patience, the 10th studio LP from the Kelly Jones-led quartet is unsurprisingly unsurprising.

From the plodding pub rock of Chances Are, Geronimo and the lumpen All In One Night to the workaday mid-paced closer Elevators, all the signs are that the Welsh behemoths are content to sit back on cruise control.

Caught By The Wind’s widescreen guitar, light-touch synths and piano take a stab at evoking the freedom of the open road, but it feels written for a commercial, and Cryin’ In Your Beer is a polished, all-you-can-eat chugger busting out organ, barroom piano, honking brass and thumping drums.

Delve further, though, and there is some relief in the gentle sway and new-leaf optimism of Would You Believe – and Kelly’s delivery is genuinely touching and heartfelt in Before Anyone Knew Our Name, a tribute to late drummer Stuart Cable. It’s a shame the lone accompanying piano motif feels underworked and too flimsy to bear the emotional weight.

Rating: 2/5