number 33. As part of the opening ceremony for the 1999 Rugby World Cup at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Catatonia performed the title track from the album. That track had become an unofficial Welsh anthem due in part to the chorus "Every day when I wake up I thank the Lord I'm Welsh". To promote the album, the band undertook its biggest tour to date. Reception The NME said that International Velvet showed Catatonia "to be more versatile than you ever thought possible for such a white-bread guitar group", and that while "I Am the Mob" and "Road Rage" were "out-and-out pop songs", "My Selfish Gene" was a "masterstroke". However, NME felt that when Catatonia performed "typical guitar pop" they lacked excitement. The Washington Post thought that International Velvet wasn't as consistent as its predecessor but included it in a list of the best albums of 1998. The Independent felt the album fulfilled the promise the band had shown for years. Legacy In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine thought that the album fails "as often as it succeeds" in changing the band's sound from a late-80's indie pop to something more akin to hard rock. He thought that "I am the Mob" and "Mulder and Scully" had good hooks but were gimmicky and found it hard to understand all the pop culture references. Overall, he felt that the previous album, Way Beyond Blue delivered a better experience. The album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize 1998, which was awarded to Gomez for Bring It On. DJ Steve Lamacq hosted a special on International Velvet on his BBC Radio 6 Music series Classic Albums of the 90s in 2010. The album's title track has since achieved an iconic status within the culture of Wales, being performed at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the opening ceremony of the 1999 Rugby World Cup, and representing an important part of the Cool Cymru movement. Track listing Personnel Catatonia Cerys Matthews – vocals Mark Roberts – guitar Owen Powell – guitar Paul Jones – bass Aled Richards – drums Production Tommy D – producer, mixing Joe Gibb – engineer, mixing Jason Harris – assistant engineer Paul Read – engineering on "Game On" Greg Haver – engineering on "Johnny Come Lately" Roland Herrington – mixing on "Mulder and Scully", "Game On", "Road Rage" and "Strange Glue" Dave Bascombe –