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With the imminent release of their new single, a number of a-maz-ing facts about Girls Aloud become clear. "The Promise" is the band's 19th chart release, but despite what you might have heard, it isn't about the marriage palaver experienced by Cheryl Cole. Reports that Nadine Coyle has opened a candle shop in Los Angeles are, however, true. Clearly, all three are pretty astounding in their own right, but the band's longevity remains the biggest surprise here. In the promo (see below), the five-piece are a dizzy vision of monochrome wonder, in thrall to the girl groups of the ‘60s and seemingly no closer to the long-rumoured demise predicted every week since winning "Popstars: The Rivals" six years ago.

Although lacking the glittering pop fireworks and unlikely futurism of "Love Machine", "Biology" or "Sexy! No No No", "The Promise" suggests it will take more than some dreadful hairdresser slapper with no knickers and a hotline to The Sun to derail this most populist sound of the underground. The band, who release new album "Out Of Control" (not an arch Joy Division or U2 reference, Famethrowa understands) in November, have already seen off so many haters. Consider Another Level, the doomed boy band who split just six months after they were outclassed in "Popstars". Of course, any act who release a song called "Shakespeare's (Way With) Words" deserves nothing more than a career in shelf-stacking.

Yahoo! Music, meanwhile, has put the boot in many times. On hearing "Life Got Cold", in August 2003, we wrote: "Girls Aloud writers have run out of ideas already and, as Mike Skinner would say, they've resorted to some sample robbery; tune thievery." And apparently their cover of "Jump", "exposes the Girls as desperadoes in the Atomic Kitten mode." Oh dear. The toxic British press have also been vanquished by the group, with constant reports of a Coyle, then Cole solo career amounting to nothing. Not even the amazingly stupid antics of Cheryl's brain-dead husband have stopped them and her recent addition to the judging panel of "The X-Factor" looks a masterstroke.

In fact, the title of Girls Aloud's new album is testimony to their durability and independence, with the name apparently being inspired by their refusal to be bossed by bosses at their label. "It basically came from the record company", explained Kimberley Walsh this week. "They said: 'We don't know what to say, you lot are out of control. We can't tell you anything.'" With a catalogue of invincibility as tough as this, you wouldn't bet against them lasting another six years. Certainly longer than Cheryl Cole's wonky marriage, anyway.