Scottish indie-rock superstars Travis remain one of the biggest selling British bands of the last thirty years thanks, in large part, to their 1999 smash hit album The Man Who, which spent nine weeks at the top of the UK albums chart, sold over three million copies, and spawned the songs Why Does It Always Rain On Me?, Turn, Writing To Reach You, and Driftwood: songs that remain on jukeboxes and playlists up and down the country. More than that, they’ve passed into wider British culture, as recognisable as anything by the venerated greats of UK music.

Frontman Fran Healy has always sailed the Travis ship through the most bountiful waters when sticking to the indie-folk blueprint of The Man Who. The occasional forays into heavier territory, or experiments with electro, haven’t been particularly well-received despite having plenty of merit of their own. 10 Songs then, finds the band back in familiar introspective, acoustic, nostalgic territory.

Waving At The Window sets their stall out from track one, a moody number that builds from a subtle piano intro into a more melodic affair, while Butterflies’ lovely jangling guitars and vocal make for compelling listening. A Million Hearts features a superb piano line and an otherworldly feel, and lead single A Ghost (whose excellent video Healy animated himself working almost non-stop from home over a two-week period of lockdown isolation) romps along with folksy acoustic guitars and a big chorus. Kissing In The Wind is a quintessential Travis track, while Nina’s Song is a beautiful ballad with a sweet yet disconsolate air to it.

On The Only Thing, guest vocalist Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles fame sings: “You are the record in the record shop nobody wants to buy”. That’s not a problem Travis will have with 10 Songs. It will appeal to the same fans that made The Man Who such a triumph, and in essence, feels like the spiritual successor to that record. Pressing play will transport you instantly back to 1999, and I think we can all agree that was a simpler time.

Watch the official video for The Only Thing, featuring Susanna Hoffs, ">here

10 Songs tracklist:

1. Waving At The Window

2. The Only Thing (featuring Susanna Hoffs)

3. Valentine

4. Butterflies

5. A Million Hearts

6. A Ghost

7. All Fall Down

8. Kissing In The Wind

9. Nina’s Song

10. No Love Lost

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.