Girls Aloud After the success of their first single "Sound of the Underground", Girls Aloud spent five months recording the follow-up single and their debut album. "Sound of the Underground" was completed in April 2003 and released the following month. The album entered the charts at number two and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. The second single, "No Good Advice", was also released in May 2003 to similar success. Girls Aloud's third single, "Life Got Cold", charted at number three in August 2003. In November 2003, Girls Aloud released a cover version of the Pointer Sisters' 1980s dance hit
Girls Aloud songs inspired by 1980s electropop, while also exploring retro styles. "The Promise" is a 1960s Spector-influenced number, while "Rolling Back the Rivers in Time" was compared to Burt Bacharach. Girls Aloud were one of the few pop acts to achieve continued success and longevity throughout the mid-2000s while R&B and rock music became more popular. In a review for the group's 2008 Tangled Up Tour, David Pollock of "The Independent" noted that "Girls Aloud remain confidently the only pop show in town." "The Times" stated, "Not since Abba and Michael Jackson has pure pop been so unanimously praised." Girls Aloud's