Manic Street Preachers are avoiding writing about the COVID-19 pandemic on their new album.

The Welsh rock group are continuing to pen new material for their follow up to 2018's 'Resistance Is Futile' remotely, after the country was placed in a fortnight-long firebreak lockdown.

However, they have ruled out tunes about the pandemic, because it would just be "adding insult to injury".

Speaking to Radio X, frontman James Dean Bradfield said: “Myself and the Manics, we’ve been demoing in the last month or so, but obviously that stopped again.

“So the one thing we can do is we can write songs. Obviously we’re not going to be doing a gig any time soon, so we’re just doing a new record.”

On the themes of the record, he added: “We’re trying to make sure that we’re not writing about the [COVID-19] situation too much. It would feel like it was adding insult to injury.”

In March, bassist Nicky Wire teased that the LP is shaping up to be "an expansive record".

He shared: "We've written one really brilliant Manics song called 'Orwellian'.

"We've demoed that and it feels like a bit of a signpost to where we're going. It's got a bit of an 'If You Tolerate This' retro-futurism about it. It's our shining light at the moment."

The musician also explained that heartbreak in his personal life has also influenced his lyricism.

He reflected: "Lyrically, I'm just working things out. Since losing both my parents, I've been kind of overwhelmed at that situation. There's a deep-rooted sadness and melancholia that overhangs everything."