Super Furry Animals release "Bing Bong", their first new single since 2009

It's an uplifting, grin-inducing pop offering, sung entirely in Welsh and partly inspired by Buck Rodgers. It's not your standard 'football anthem', but here we are with Super Furry Animals song for their nation's upcoming EURO 2016 campaign.

A statement from the band reads: “'Bing Bong' is finally revealed to the world after its prolonged hibernation, released to bring colour and hope to Europe’s footballing, and semi or non-footballing, nations. 'Bing Bong' isn’t a song of victory, nor of defeat, but a beacon of faith to return to when your best centre forward gets sent off, or it rains at your festival. Keep it in a safe place for a time when you will need it.”

"Bing Bong" is available digitally now, or via 12” on 17 June.

See what the band's Cian Ciaran (keys, synths) says about the song, Wales' EUROs campaign, and what it was like getting back into the studio with SFA, after the track.

Could you tell us a bit about "Bing Bong"? It doesn't sound like a 'traditional football anthem'.

When we got together initially the reason why we were there was to make a song for the EUROs, but as it was the first material we've made in seven years, we wanted it to be a Furrys song as well. We wanted to make sure the two ideas could co-exist - it being a Furrys and a football song in one. I think we managed it. It's not the most obvious song, but it kinda hits the nail on the head - it's got the chants, it's got the tempo changes like you get on the terraces, it's got a singalongability. You never know, but sometimes the most unlikely songs make it onto the terraces. We wanted to write a Furrys song and hope that it makes it to the tournament. It's like that White Stripes song, "Seven Nation Army" - they didn't write that as a football anthem!

Is it right that the single's been in the works for a while?

Yeah, only because Wales haven't qualified for a tournament until now! It was originally written for the 2003/04 Portugal campaign, but we narrowly missed out that time and it's just been sat on the shelf in hibernation.

Have you been working on it all that time or have you recently returned it?

It's been 13 years... the demo was written back then, and as soon as we didn't qualify it went straight back into the folder.

Has it been brought out ever couple of years when Wales have been aiming to qualify for the EUROs or the World Cup?

It's taken a while, but it's all about the football... I'm just so happy Wales have qualified! It's given us an excuse to get back into the studio. We haven't been in the studio together as Super Furry Animals since '09.

How was it getting back together?

It was great - like riding a bike! It's hard to forget. Even though we haven't released anything as a band, we've all been working with each other and on each other's material for the past six or seven years. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary you know? Behind the scenes we've always been working together on stuff.

Was there talk of anything else with the band?

No, not really. We've got a handful of shows starting at the end of this month, and we're touring the States in the summer, and festivals 'til the end of September. We've just had one eye on that. There's no pressure to do anything else other than concentrate on the task at hand. We're enjoying what we've got on our plates at the moment.

So you've got this big Manics show coming up - how are you feeling about it?

It's gonna be great. First time we've played in Swansea in 20 years, and stadium gigs are always a completely different experience. Manics helped us out in the beginning, and cleared the path for a lot of bands from Wales back in the day - they're pioneers. It'll be with good friends. I'm looking forward to it.

Have you heard their official Wales song?

Yeah I heard it this morning on the radio. It's great! It's classic Manics. It's got all the commentary playing throughout - it ticks the boxes.

Do you think Wales will get on well in the tournament?

Without sounding like a cliché, on our day we could beat anyone. The squad's a bit thin, we haven't got the depth of some of the other teams, but then we didn't have a first choice team playing against Holland and we only lost 2-3 - that's virtually the same Holland team that beat a nearly full-strength England at home as well. So I'm saying it's a bit thin and straigh away contradicting myself... but we shouldn't go into it thinking we're gonna be the whipping boys. If we've got the right time, right place, right mentality, and a bit of luck - who knows what could happen?

Any special plans to watch the matches?

I'm flying out to Bordeaux on the ninth to catch the Wales vs. Slovakia game, then travelling up to Lens for the England one, and back down to Toulouse for Russia. We've got a gig in Toulouse on the 18th just a couple of days before that Russia game.

The England one will be a big match.

Aye! It depends how both teams get on in their first game. If both win then I imagine there'll be less pressure to get a result... but I don't think that'll affect the motivation to win between the two teams!

Super Furry Animals play Swansea's Liberty Stadium on 28 May, opening for Manic Street Preachers.

Watch the video below. Mark James directs.