Sound of the Underground (album) written with the aim of launching their own girl group. The song was originally recorded in 2001 by London girl group Orchid, who disbanded before gaining a firm record deal. It was chosen by Girls Aloud's manager Louis Walsh as their debut single. "Sound of the Underground" was 2002's Christmas number one single and spent a further three weeks at number one. "Sound of the Underground" and another Xenomania production, Sugababes' "Round Round", have been called "two huge groundbreaking hits", credited with reshaping British pop music for the 2000s. Following the single's success, Girls Aloud proceeded to begin recording their
The Promise (Girls Aloud song) the planet". As soon as Girls Aloud heard the song, they decided it should be the first single from "Out of Control". The day before the song was due to be delivered to Fascination Records, the entire backing track was ditched and replayed. Described by the band's website as a "stormer of a track", "The Promise" premièred on Switch on BBC Radio 1 on 14 September 2008. During promotion, Girls Aloud announced dates for 2009's Out of Control Tour. The song was released as a physical CD single in Ireland on 15 October 2008, followed by a digital release in