Catatonia were originally formed in 1992 with Mark Roberts and singer Cerys Matthews being part of the band that released the critically acclaimed EP "For Tinkerbell" in 1993.

Drummer Aled Richards and guitarist Owen Powell joined prior to the release of their first album Way Beyond Blue and the line-up remained the same for International Velvet.

[9] As part of the opening ceremony for the 1999 Rugby World Cup at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Catatonia performed the title track from the album.

[7] The NME said that International Velvet showed Catatonia "to be more versatile than you ever thought possible for such a white-bread guitar group",[20] and that while "I Am the Mob" and "Road Rage" were "out-and-out pop songs",[20] "My Selfish Gene" was a "masterstroke".

[18] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine thought that the album fails "as often as it succeeds" in changing the band's sound from a late-80's indie pop to something more akin to hard rock.

[28] The album's title track has since achieved an iconic status within the culture of Wales, being performed at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the opening ceremony of the 1999 Rugby World Cup,[29] and representing an important part of the Cool Cymru movement.