Released: July 12
Twenty-five years on from their international breakthrough with the seminal ‘The Man Who’, Travis return with ‘L.A. Times’ – the band’s most contemplative work to date.
The band – back in its original configuration, headed up by singer-songwriter Fran Healy – overcome a period of change, both personally and in an ever-shifting cultural climate, on a 10-song collection that reflects their lives today while leaning into the group’s classic sound.
Billing the record as their “most personal album” since the aforementioned global phenomenon, featuring the hit single Why Does It Always Rain On Me?, Healy says: “There was a lot of big stuff to write about back then, the tectonic plates had shifted in my life.
“I was 22 when I was writing those songs. They were my therapy,” he adds. “Over 20 years later and the plates have shifted again. There’s a lot to talk about.”
There’s subtle humour in opening number Bus; a song about waiting for inspiration to hit in a creative dry spell. As ‘L.A. Times’ proves, it was right there all along.
Lead single Gaslight is a bouncy anthem that juxtaposes lyrics on controlling gaslighting tendencies with a jovial instrumental that reflects the facade of those in the public eye that pull the strings while beating their own drum behind the scenes, while the Scottish twang of Healy’s vocals come through on I Hope That You Spontaneously Combust, while longing to subvert the control of the powers that be.
Songs like Raze The Bar and L.A. Times look outwards, with the narrative tracks reflecting upon the closure of New York’s affectionately named Black and White bar following the Covid pandemic and life in Los Angeles as observed from Healy’s studio on the edge of Skid Row, respectively, while several tunes see the vocalist look inward, following the breakdown of his marriage, as he reassesses his life as a single man in his 50s.
Naked In New York City sees him come to terms with that independence, navigating daily life alone in one of the world’s most bustling locations, while Live It All Again is a reflective ode to accepting the highs and lows that come with life, embracing the journey and living in the moment.
It’s a theme that arises once more on The River; the centrepiece of ‘L.A. Times’ and a driving anthem for the band’s constant drive to push forward creatively with the same passion that brought them together three decades ago and still burns strong today.
