Travis - 3 Miles High

1.   Who are they?

Travis are an indie pop rock band who have been sweetening peoples lives for over 20 years. They come from the mean streets of Glasgow, Scotland. They have had two UK number 1 albums, five top 10 singles, two Best British Band Brit Awards and they have sold over 8 million long players.

3 Miles High (Jan'16) is the second single that soars off their eighth long player Everything At Once (April'16).


2.   What kind of tune is 3 Miles High?

3 Miles High is an indie ballad with acoustic guitar, violins and vocals that kiss the angels feet. A sweet mood maker and a bad mood breaker.


3. Who do Travis sound like?

3 Miles High sounds like a Belle and Sebastian song. Well they are from the same city. Or a non-specific Coldplay song. Even The La's and James come to mind.

Travis are often compared with post-Britpop bands like The Verve, Snow Patrol, Coldplay and Elbow. They also have been compared with Keane, The Shins and The Fray. 


4. What's the good word from the press?

In a word, very little. Cut and paste jackals, they have no shame. Gigslutz came to the rescue here saying 3 Miles High is “a beautifully understated and uplifting acoustic track” and “overflows with conviction and confidence.”

Of the album Everything At Once they considered it “the sound of a band in it’s prime” and “pure unadulterated joy.”

5. Who are Travis' influences?

They named their original band after a Beatles song so, yeah, The Beatles. The band said back in the day they were influenced by Creedance Clearwater Revival, The Band, Pavement and Belle and Sebastian. Others have made mention of Simon and Garfunkel and Radiohead.


6.   Why should I listen to 3 Miles High?

Don't. Everything At Once rocks and is more original. But 3 Miles High is beautiful and emotive. The kind of tune some people call 'bed wetter's music'. If you like indie that's a banner of pride, like having a 'Twee As Fuck' T-shirt or being able to cry without shame. At the least you'll want it on your playlist to impress others with your soft side. 


7.   What other good tunes do Travis have?

Travis are most famous for Why Does It Always Rain On Me? and it is a lovely song. As mentioned don't go past Everything At Once and if you just must have more try Sing, it's a good 'un. 


8.   Anything else I should know?

The Norwegian singer Aurora put the backing vocals on 3 Miles High.

The new album was produced by Michael Ilbert, German producer who has put nose to grind for old 80’s bands like A Ha, Roxette and The Cardigans. More recently he put the shine on albums for Taylor Swift, The Hives, Supergrass and Tove Lo.

All the songs on Everything At Once hover around the magical three minute mark. The singer Fran Healy said,“ We have learnt to be frugal with our writing. You can say everything you want to say. You don’t need four minutes to do it.”

The band named themselves after the Harry Dean Stanton character Travis Henderson from the film Paris, Texas.

“Everyone has a wall to climb.”

Seconds is from Norwegian synth pop musician Aurora. She has her debut album due for release in March and Conqueror (Jan’16) is the best of a string of prior release singles. Powerful stuff.