Review

The art of crafting a proper rock album seems increasingly quaint in our playlist-dominated era, yet Stereophonics have defiantly perfected this vanishing skill on their magnificent new offering. "Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait" sees the Welsh rockers returning to form with an emotional rollercoaster that, true to its title, delivers moments of unexpected levity, gut-punching poignancy, and tantalising musical tension. Kelly Jones' distinctively gravelled vocals have matured like fine whisky, carrying a weathered wisdom that gives the album's more reflective moments genuine gravitas. Twenty-five years into their career, the band sounds refreshingly hungry, having shed any complacency that might have crept into their mid-period work. The album opens with thunderous intent on "Daylight Robbery," a stomping, riff-laden number that wouldn't have sounded out of place on their early records. Yet this isn't mere nostalgia – the production boasts a crisp, contemporary edge that elevates their signature sound rather than merely recycling it. It's the ballads, however, that showcase the band's emotional range. "Forgotten Town" is an absolute heartbreaker – a sparse, piano-driven elegy to faded industrial communities that manages to be both intensely personal and politically resonant without descending into preachiness. Jones' delivery in the final chorus might be the most affecting vocal performance of his career. The middle section delightfully wrong-foots listeners with "Saturday Night Dynamite," an unexpectedly funky detour complete with brass section and wry observations of weekend culture that proves these veterans still have tricks up their sleeves. This playfulness continues with "Beautiful Chaos," which marries jangly guitar work with some of Jones' sharpest character sketches. What ultimately makes this collection cohere is the band's unerring sense of pacing and dynamics. Just when you think you've got the measure of the record, they pull the rug from under you – shifting from rousing anthems to intimate confessionals with the confident swagger of musicians who know exactly what they're doing. The album closes with the seven-minute epic "Last Train Home," a slow-building tour de force that gathers momentum like an actual locomotive before exploding into a cathartic finale. It's the perfect encapsulation of the album's emotional journey – at once familiar yet surprising, comforting yet challenging. In an age of diminishing attention spans, Stereophonics have delivered that increasingly rare treasure: an album that rewards patient, attentive listening from start to finish. "Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry, Make 'em Wait" isn't just the title – it's the musical philosophy that makes this record such a triumph.