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Pull the Pin
Pull the Pin
from Wikipedia

Pull the Pin
A picture of two colored mouths on a black background pulling a pin
Studio album by
Released12 October 2007
RecordedDecember 2006–August 2007
Studio
Genre
Length46:25
LabelV2
Vox Populi Records
RMG Chart (Ireland)
Sony Music (France)
Rough Trade (Germany)
ProducerKelly Jones, Jim Lowe
Stereophonics chronology
Language. Sex. Violence. Other?
(2005)
Pull the Pin
(2007)
Keep Calm and Carry On
(2009)
Singles from Pull the Pin
  1. "It Means Nothing"
    Released: 24 September 2007
  2. "My Friends"
    Released: 3 December 2007
  3. "Stone"
    Released: 3 March 2008

Pull the Pin is the sixth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, released by V2 in the UK on 12 October 2007. A Stereophonics newsletter released the Pull the Pin album artwork to subscribers. The cover was also shown to Myspace users that had added the band in a bulletin.

The taster track "Bank Holiday Monday" had its world premier on Radio 1's Chris Moyles Show on Tuesday 1 May 2007 and was made available for digital download on Monday 28 May 2007 from online retailers. The album became a critical and commercial low-point for Stereophonics, receiving negative reviews and—at the time—having the lowest sales figures of their career. Despite this Pull the Pin still managed to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart; however, it was their last until Keep the Village Alive almost eight years later in 2015.

Writing

[edit]

Lead singer Kelly Jones had to take ten months off before commencing to write songs for the album due to an illness in his family.[2] About two years prior to the release of Pull the Pin, he had written the lyrics for "It Means Nothing" and "Daisy Lane" in a hotel in Germany—the latter was written for Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005) but it wasn't completed during that time.[3]

"It Means Nothing" was written based on the 7/7 London attacks, it is about the feeling of unease in the city and people realising what was important in their lives.[4] "Daisy Lane" is about a young boy who was stabbed to death on the street where Jones lives. The song "Stone" contains lyrics which were also featured in their earlier single "Moviestar", namely: "You're in my soul / You're in my mind".[3][5] It was considered for the album's lead single but the band and record company decided for "It Means Nothing" instead.[3]

Release

[edit]

"Bank Holiday Monday" was made available to download on 28 May 2007 to those who purchased tickets for the band's tour in November 2007.[6] Pull The Pin was released on 12 October 2007[7] on three formats, including CD, digital and LP.[8]

Packing and title

[edit]

The artwork of the two lips was designed by Miles Aldridge while Graham Rounthwaite and Stereophonics handled the art direction.[3] The band photographs inside the CD booklet were taken by Hans Peter van Velthoven.[3] The title and cover art of Pull the Pin was negatively received. When reviewing the album, Ian Cohen from Pitchfork called them "awful"[1] while Drowned in Sound contributor Cpt Howling Mad Murdock called the cover art "some of the worst artwork of the year."[9] Sonja D'Cruze at the BBC also disliked the artwork, commenting, "And that's not to mention the distasteful artwork of two sets of psychedelic glossed-up lips pulling a grenade pin."[10]

Singles

[edit]

The band's newsletter on 24 July 2007 confirmed details and artwork of the first single to be released from the album. "It Means Nothing" was released as the first single from the album in digital form on 24 September 2007[11] and later on 1 October three major versions were released, including one CD single and two vinyl singles.[12] It charted at number twelve in the UK Singles chart,[13] making it the first lead single to miss out on the top five since "Local Boy in the Photograph".[14] "My Friends" was released as the second single on 10 December 2007 on three formats, CD, 7" vinyl and USB,[15] and charted at number thirty-two on the UK charts.[16]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic46/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarHalf star[18]
Drowned in Sound4/10[9]
The GuardianStarStar[19]
Hot PressStarHalf star[20]
The IndependentStarStar[21]
MojoStarStarStar[22]
NME7/10[23]
Pitchfork3.4/10[1]
The SkinnyStarStar[24]
UncutStarStarStar[25]

Pull the Pin received generally mixed to negative reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 46, based on 12 reviews.[17] Contrasting with the negative reviews however, NME – who have been critical of the band's past albums – contributor Paul McNamee praised the album, stating it lives up as a successor album to Language. Sex. Violence. Other? and summarised it as "an unapologetic rock’n’roll record by a band who are hard to like but impossible to ignore."[23]

In the negative, Sonja D'Cruze from the BBC summarised the album as having "no real depth, imagination or anything to connect with."[26] Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian criticised the album, saying "the only things worse than Kelly Jones's aggrieved bellow and flatpack songwriting are his lyrics" and compared them to someone "performing brain surgery in boxing gloves: the patient always dies."[19] Pitchfork contributor Ian Cohen also criticised Jones' lyrical content and said the rock genre of the album was different by having "no sex, no spark."[1] Cpt H.M. 'Howling Mad' Murdock from Drowned in Sound was negative toward Jones' vocals by calling them "least-sincere" and compared them to "as if a diseased cat’s being garrotted in his throat." He summarised the album as: "... absolutely without spark and wholly forgettable."[9]

Commercial performance

[edit]

The album reached number one in the UK,[27] becoming the band's fifth consecutive studio album to do so.[28] Despite this, record sales were at an all-time low for the band, receiving only a gold certification[a] for sales over 200,000 copies.[2][29] The album didn't fare well outside of the UK either. In Ireland the record reached number fifteen, breaking the band's three number-one albums streak.[30]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Kelly Jones; "I Could Lose Ya" co-written by Richard Jones and Javier Weyler[3]

No.TitleLength
1."Soldiers Make Good Targets"4:37
2."Pass the Buck"3:24
3."It Means Nothing"3:48
4."Bank Holiday Monday"3:14
5."Daisy Lane"3:37
6."Stone"4:17
7."My Friends"3:35
8."I Could Lose Ya"3:17
9."Bright Red Star"3:39
10."Ladyluck"3:45
11."Crush"3:56
12."Drowning"5:08
Total length:46:25
Japanese release bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Hangman"2:48
14."Helter Skelter" (Beatles cover)4:19
15."Have a Nice Day"3:26

Personnel

[edit]

Charts and certifications

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Pull the Pin is a physics-based in which players remove pins in a specific order to guide colored balls into a pipe at the bottom of the screen, utilizing while avoiding hazards such as bombs and ensuring colorless balls acquire color by touching their colored counterparts. The game features satisfying graphics, innovative level designs, and progressively challenging puzzles that test logical thinking and timing. Developed by Popcore GmbH, Pull the Pin was released on January 24, 2020, for and Android mobile platforms. As of November 2025, it has gained popularity as a hyper-casual title, amassing over 100 million downloads on Android and earning a 4.4 out of 5 rating from more than 250,000 users on the . In November 2022, Popcore was acquired by Rollic, a Turkish mobile game developer known for other puzzle hits, which has since supported ongoing updates and expansions.

Background

Development

Popcore , a Berlin-based developer, was founded in 2018 by brothers Thomas Heinze and Johannes Heinze, focusing on ad-driven hyper-casual games. The company's first title, Connect the Pops, was released in August 2018, followed by other puzzle games such as and Tap Away. Pull the Pin was developed as a physics-based puzzle game and launched on January 24, 2020, for and Android platforms. The game features hundreds of levels with mechanics involving pin removal to guide colored balls to a pipe while avoiding obstacles like bombs. In November 2022, Popcore was acquired by Rollic, a Turkish studio and subsidiary of (later ), enabling continued updates and expansion. A console port titled Pull The Pin: Ball Physic Puzzle was released for on March 14, 2024, broadening accessibility beyond mobile.

Inspiration for the game

The pull-the-pin puzzle mechanic rose to prominence in 2019 through viral ad creatives for unrelated games, such as Hero Wars by Nexters, which used short clips of pin-pulling puzzles to attract users despite the core gameplay being an RPG. Popcore drew inspiration from this trend's appeal—combining simple logic, physics, and satisfying outcomes—to create a dedicated hyper-casual game without misleading advertising. The design emphasizes intuitive gameplay, progressive difficulty, and visual satisfaction to engage casual players globally, aligning with Popcore's mission of accessible entertainment.

Writing and recording

Songwriting

Kelly Jones adopted a predominantly solo songwriting approach for Pull the Pin, composing the bulk of the album's tracks independently using just a guitar to capture initial ideas on basic demos. The sole exception was "I Could Lose Ya," which earned co-writing credits for bassist Richard Jones and drummer Javier Weyler alongside Jones's lyrics. This process unfolded in late 2006, after Jones had taken a ten-month break from music due to a family illness, during which he focused on recovery and began developing the album's raw, unrefined demos. These early sketches emphasized an , where Jones revisited and built upon captured fragments to shape full songs, reflecting his longstanding practice of refining spontaneous recordings over time. The creative decisions were informed briefly by contemporary events, including the 2005 London bombings, which directly inspired the lead single "It Means Nothing" as a response to the ensuing urban unease.

Recording process

The recording of Pull the Pin took place in 2007 at Eden Studios in . The album was produced by and longtime collaborator , who had previously worked together on Stereophonics' You Gotta Go There to Come Back (2003) and Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005). Jones described the sessions as an organic process, with the band constructing a home studio and committing to daily rehearsals where they simply played music without preconceived plans for radio or commercial outcomes, fostering a raw, live-band energy through limited overdubs and direct performances. Among the material captured during these sessions was a cover of ' "Helter Skelter," which appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album.

Composition

Musical style

Pull the Pin is classified as an album incorporating elements, as noted in genre listings and band profiles. This work marks a return to a rawer, more straightforward rock sound for , drawing back to their roots following more experimental and diverse efforts in prior releases. The features key sonic characteristics such as urgent guitar , driving rhythms, and melodic hooks, particularly evident in the opening track "Soldiers Make Good Targets," which opens with an excellent and conveys a sense of urgency and menace. Heavy guitar work and power chords dominate the instrumentation, contributing to a no-nonsense pub-rock and cock-rock vibe across the record. These elements create a platonic rock aesthetic, emphasizing distorted tones and straightforward structures. Compared to the polished pop-rock and experimental leanings of previous albums like Language. Sex. Violence. Other?, Pull the Pin shifts toward a more menacing, rock-oriented palette with punchy, emotional delivery and reduced stylistic experimentation. This evolution is highlighted by its heavy guitar focus and raw energy, produced to capture a live, unapologetic feel.

Lyrical themes

The of Pull the Pin explore central themes of , loss, and resilience, often drawing from real-world events and personal introspection to create a tapestry of emotional and societal reflection. In "Soldiers Make Good Targets," critiques the media's detached portrayal of , using satirical lines like "I'll take a war / I'll take mine with fries" to highlight the of conflict and its human cost. This track embodies the album's broader motif of violence as an inescapable global force, blending dark humor with a call for awareness of soldiers' vulnerability. Similarly, "Daisy Lane" addresses everyday urban tragedy through the story of a young boy stabbed to death on Jones's own street in , evoking the randomness of knife crime with haunting imagery: "Three boys in hoods / Warm summer's day / Stuck him and killed him / Then ran away." These songs underscore violence not as abstract spectacle but as a pervasive threat infiltrating daily life. Loss permeates the album's emotional core, manifesting in personal grief and collective mourning. "Drowning," the closing track, delves into introspective sorrow over irreversible change, with Jones lamenting, "Wanna feel / Like I did before / Time changes me / I'm like I never was," capturing a sense of drowning in regret and the erosion of one's former self. This autobiographical vulnerability contrasts with societal loss in "It Means Nothing," which confronts the urban paranoia following the 7/7 London bombings, inspired by Jones's observations of frantic attempts to reach loved ones amid the chaos. Jones reflected on the event's impact, noting how it amplified appreciation for family and friends in the face of sudden tragedy. Through these narratives, the album weaves personal bereavement with public devastation, emphasizing resilience as a quiet defiance against overwhelming despair. Jones's lyrical approach is distinctly introspective, merging autobiographical elements from his Welsh upbringing with sharp societal commentary to foster a sense of shared human endurance. Tracks like "" draw from personal evolution and emotional turmoil, while "Soldiers Make Good Targets" and "It Means Nothing" extend to global and local crises, urging listeners to confront both intimate and collective wounds. This blend avoids preachiness, instead fostering resilience through raw, observational storytelling that resonates with themes of survival amid adversity.

Release and promotion

Packaging and title

The artwork for Pull the Pin was photographed by , featuring a provocative of two vibrant grasping and pulling the pin from a , which conveys stark, explosive imagery central to the album's thematic tension. The art direction was overseen by Graham Rounthwaite alongside the band , while band photography was handled by Hans Peter van Velthoven. This visual design, described in contemporary reviews as evoking urgency and potential chaos through its motif, directly ties into the album's explosive rock aesthetic. The title Pull the Pin draws from the grenade imagery on the cover, symbolizing a moment of irreversible action and emotional intensity, as reflected in the album's raw lyrical and musical energy. It was first revealed to fans through the band's official sent to subscribers, with the full artwork also shared via a bulletin to users following the band's profile in the lead-up to the October 2007 release. Originally issued in standard CD and digital download formats by V2 Records, the album also saw a limited vinyl edition in a gatefold sleeve, emphasizing its collectible appeal for physical media enthusiasts at the time.

Singles and marketing

The lead single from Pull the Pin, "It Means Nothing", was released on 24 September 2007 in multiple formats, including a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl and . The track, a addressing urban paranoia and loss, peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. Follow-up singles included "My Friends", released on 3 December 2007 as a and clear vinyl 7-inch single, which reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. The third single, "Stone", followed on 3 March 2008, available initially as a promotional before wider physical and digital formats. Marketing efforts for the album began early with the world premiere of the non-single taster track "Bank Holiday Monday" on BBC Radio 1's Show on 1 May 2007, followed by its availability as a free digital download for fans via the band's newsletter sign-up. The album itself was released in the UK on 15 October 2007 by V2 Records, in standard and digital formats, with promotional teasers building anticipation through radio airplay and online previews.

2025 reissue

On June 13, 2025, UMR/ released a vinyl reissue of Pull the Pin, the sixth studio by , expanding its availability in physical format nearly 18 years after its original 2007 debut. This edition coincides with the band's European tour dates in April and May 2025, alongside the release of their thirteenth studio album, Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Cry, Make 'Em Wait, on April 25, 2025. The reissue enhances accessibility for collectors and fans amid renewed interest in the album's raw rock sound. The 2025 version is pressed as a standard 12-inch black vinyl LP, faithfully reproducing the original 12-track listing across two sides, including singles like "It Means Nothing" and "My Friends." It features the original sleeve and lyric sheets, with audio quality reported as comparable to the initial pressing, without indications of remastering. Available for purchase through the official online store and major retailers such as Piccadilly Records, the LP is priced around £26.99, catering to vinyl enthusiasts seeking high-fidelity playback of the album's emotional tracks. This reissue forms part of a larger initiative to bring all of their to vinyl in 2025, including titles like and Language. Sex. Violence. Other?, reflecting ongoing efforts to meet demand for their catalog in analog format. Such releases underscore the band's enduring popularity and the format's resurgence among rock audiences.

Reception

Critical reception

Pull the Pin received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, earning an aggregate score of 46 out of 100 based on 12 reviews. While some outlets praised its raw energy and rock intensity, others criticized the album for its lack of innovation and repetitive structures. In the UK, where the album was released in October 2007, highlighted its "unapologetic rock'n'roll" vibe, awarding it 7 out of 10 and commending the urgency and sense of menace in tracks addressing war and the 2005 London bombings. The , however, described it as lacking depth and imagination, likening the band's output to a repetitive . echoed this sentiment, calling it bland and whitewashed despite pre-release promises of politicized content. Upon its 2008 US release, scored the album 3.4 out of 10, critiquing its predictability and lack of originality while sarcastically noting it as a potential " renaissance" that ultimately proved forgettable. similarly panned it at 4 out of 10, faulting the cock-rock elements for having volume without verve or sharpness.

Commercial performance

Pull the Pin debuted at number one on the , marking ' fifth consecutive chart-topping release. The album was certified gold by the BPI in the for sales and streaming equivalent to 100,000 units, with total sales estimated at 200,000 copies. Internationally, it peaked at number 15 on the Irish Albums Chart and received a certification from the IRMA for 7,500 units, number 68 on the Albums Chart, and number 30 on the French Albums Chart. Overall sales estimates place the at over 200,000 units in the alone. The 2025 vinyl reissue generated renewed interest, propelling it back onto the Official Albums Sales Chart at number 96 in June 2025, though no additional certifications were issued.

Credits

Track listing

All tracks are written by , except "I Could Lose Ya", which is co-written by , Richard Jones, and . The standard edition of Pull the Pin consists of 12 tracks with a total duration of 46:23.
No.TitleDuration
1"Soldiers Make Good Targets"4:37
2"Pass the Buck"3:24
3"It Means Nothing"3:48
4"Bank Holiday Monday"3:14
5"Daisy Lane"3:38
6"Stone"4:17
7"My Friends"3:35
8"I Could Lose Ya"3:17
9"Reward"2:12
10"Interlude"0:55
11"Bang the Drum"3:34
12"Brother"4:24
The Japanese edition includes three bonus tracks: "Hangman" (demo, 2:48), a cover of "Helter Skelter" by (4:19), and "Have a Nice Day" (3:26).

Personnel

The personnel involved in the recording of Stereophonics' sixth studio album Pull the Pin consisted of the band's core lineup at the time: on lead vocals, guitar, and piano; Richard Jones on bass; and on drums. Additional contributions came from Leo Taylor, who played drums on "It Means Nothing", "Daisy Lane", and "I Could Lose Ya", and Julienne Taylor, who provided backing vocals. The album was produced by and , with Lowe also serving as engineer. Mixing was handled by Mark "Spike" , while assistant engineers included Dario Dendi, Alex Dromgoole, Marco Migliari, and Rowen Oliver. Mastering was completed by at Sterling Sound in New York. For the artwork, the cover photography was created by , with art direction provided by Graham Rounthwaite and the band . Band photographs were taken by Hans Peter van Velthoven.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

"Pull the Pin" debuted at number one on the on 27 October 2007, spending one week at the top and accumulating a total of 15 weeks on the chart. In Ireland, the album reached a peak of number 15 on the Irish Albums Chart and charted for 6 weeks. The album also appeared on several other international charts, with the following peak positions:
ChartPeak Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)68
French Albums (SNEP)30
Scottish Albums (OCC)1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)40
The 2025 vinyl reissue did not result in significant new chart entries or re-entries beyond minor regional activity.

Certifications

"Pull the Pin" was certified Gold by the (BPI) in the for 100,000 units shipped as of 2007. Subsequent sales figures indicate the album achieved 200,000 units in the UK. In Ireland, the album was awarded Gold certification by the (IRMA) for sales of 7,500 units. No additional certifications have been issued since 2007, nor for the 2025 vinyl reissue, and equivalent units from streaming have not triggered further awards as of November 2025.

References

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