After almost four years since their last new material and ten years on from their debut, Travis’s return has hardly set the music world alight - but it’s still good to have them back.
Their fifth album Boy With No Name may have been branded 'more of the same', but why fix something if it ain’t broke? During their break from the limelight, bands they have influenced such as Coldplay, Keane and Snow Patrol have taken over their indie stadium rock crown but these nice Glaswegian boys still have something to offer.
If the first single Closer was saccharine sweet in its naive idealism, the bitter lyrics of Selfish Jean about the ending of an unhappy love affair are belied by the mellifluous music. Fran Healy’s melodic warbling and Andrew Dunlop’s jangly guitar don’t really match such lines as an ex-girlfriend’s "quite alarming knack of knowing when to twist the knife".
The worst thing about the song is its dreadfully punning title. However, all the way from the drum intro 'inspired by' the start of Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life, Selfish Jean once again demonstrates Fran’s immaculate craftsmanship in writing an irresistibly catchy pop tune. It overflows with the feelgood factor - regardless of what the words of the song say.
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