Franny über das neue Album:
japantimes.co.jpImminent seventh album “Where You Stand” is the unmistakable sound of a band doing, as Healy puts it, “What we were put on the planet to do.” In fact, it couldn’t sound more like Travis if it had been scientifically created in a laboratory with that exact intention: with an undercurrent of melancholy to their harmonious anthems, it breaks no new ground but will delight those already on board.
“Oh, definitely,” Healy agrees. “We have two sounds, the more unpopular sound like ‘Good Feeling,’ which is slightly edgier, and then we have this other one. And it’s that one that people know the best. It’s our true voice, and ‘Where You Stand’ is definitely that. We’re not trying to reinvent any wheel, just trying to find a new melody that you’ve not heard before that will get stuck in your head.”
For Healy, melody rules all to the extent he dismisses out of hand (very politely, of course) my attempt to dissect the meaning of the lyrics to “Where You Stand,” which, to these ears, seem to be an attempt by a 39-year-old man, juggling family and musical commitments, to make sense of his place in the world. “In song, don’t even think about the lyrics,” he says, “just sing along and lose yourself in them.”
Really? Are they that insignificant? “Really. When I’m writing it’s just the first thing out of my mouth and I don’t even know what it means. But if it works, if it fits with the melody, then leave it and let’s move on. Often, it is more after the event. ‘Mother’ — about the band, where we’re at, why the f-ck did we wait so long to get it back together again (laughs). But there is no overarching philosophical theme. It’s pop music.”
Healy’s belief in the transcending power of pop music is almost childlike and, unlike many of his peers, he is unfettered by the evolving face of an industry that seems incapable of keeping up with the times. Is that a naive stance?
“No, it’s not,” he attests, “because that is just how we consume music. That has changed since the start. But one thing that never changes is melody. All these things come after the currency of our business, which are songs. All bands should exist outside the sales of music. How boring is that? So as long as Travis can still write a tune that can get stuck in your head and get on the radio then we are in good shape. Once you’re on air, you become timeless.”
Tokyo plays host to Travis’ second full show of the year when they return to headline the thrice-a-year Hostess Club Weekender on Sunday.
“Japan is sort of like Britain, in that it’s an island and definitely different to everywhere else. I love it. It reminds me of home so much, they have, like we do, local quirks to their national identity and I love every part of it. We really enjoy it, and I know they enjoy us, too. It’s a mutual appreciation society.
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