Stereophonics - Kind (LP) - Picture Disc Vinyl

Drop the needle on Kind and the first thing that hits is how human it feels. Stereophonics made their name on big choruses and pub-to-stadium grit, but here the edges are softened just enough to let the songs breathe. It arrived in late 2019, and it sounds like a band taking stock. Not in a tired way, in a warm, unguarded way that leans into acoustics, piano, and close-mic’d vocals that sit right in your ear.

Kelly Jones co-produced the record with George Drakoulias, a studio veteran with a knack for organic rock and soul. They recorded quickly at The Distillery in Wiltshire, with minimal overdubs, often chasing first or second takes. You can hear that approach in the creak of guitar strings and the way the room wraps around the drums. It suits these songs. Jones had just come through throat surgery earlier that year, something he talked about with real candor, and his singing carries a weathered grain that turns small lines into little gut-punches. When he leans into a note, you feel the air move.

“Fly Like an Eagle” was the first taste, a patient slow-burn that opens on an acoustic strum and a steady heartbeat of drums, then lifts at the chorus. No trickery, just good melody and space, with the band shading rather than shouting. “Bust This Town” brings the tempo up, a rock song built for crowds, yet they keep the recording raw and close. It sounds like four players facing each other, nodding the changes, locking in without a click track. “Don’t Let the Devil Take Another Day” is the one that sticks with me after the side ends, a plea and a pep talk folded into one. The title would later be used for Jones’s film and live release, and it makes sense. The song feels like a line he needed to say out loud.

The rest of Kind follows that balance of intimate and anthemic. Pianos roll in and out, harmonies crack at the edges, and Jamie Morrison’s drums keep things earthy, more sticks and skin than studio gloss. Richard Jones’s bass often carries the weight of the arrangements, a warm pulse that lets the guitars sparkle instead of swamp the mix. Adam Zindani adds texture, a little tremolo here, a chiming counterline there. Tony Kirkham’s keys color the corners, the way a good pub piano does when the lights go low. This is the sort of record that rewards a quiet room, yet the hooks still land on first listen.

It is worth remembering how remarkable the band’s consistency has been. Kind went straight to number one in the UK, their seventh album to reach the top. That kind of run does not happen by accident. Critics were split on the album’s shift in scale, but even the harsher reviews tended to tip a hat to the sincerity of the writing and the live-in-the-room production. Fans got it straight away. On tour, these songs sat comfortably next to the old setlist anchors, proof that an understated approach can still fill a hall when the bones of the songs are strong.

If you are a vinyl person, this one feels made for the format. The quiet arrangements and roomy recording shine on a turntable, and the pacing of the sides gives the music a little extra air. Kind vinyl is a smart pickup if you already keep Word Gets Around and Performance and Cocktails in rotation. I have found Stereophonics albums on vinyl can fly out of the bins, so if you spot it at your local shop, grab it. And yes, if you need to buy Stereophonics records online, this is a safe add to cart. It is the sort of LP you might slide into a Saturday afternoon stack, maybe something you’d find in a Melbourne record store staff picks crate next to other quiet keepers. For the searchers out there, it will sit proudly with your Stereophonics vinyl and play nice with the rest of your rock and singer songwriter shelves.

Twenty plus years in, Stereophonics could have chased volume. Instead they trusted the take, the room, the song. Kind is not flashy, and that is the point. It is a record about weathering things, leaving some space, and letting the melody carry the weight. Put it on, let it spin, and you might find yourself staying for one more side.