Athlete

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Athlete Biography

Sitting in the back room of their local Deptford pub, Athlete are trying to explain the development their sound has made on Tourist, the quartet's marvelous second album. The last album was quirky pop. And it was good quirky pop, says drummer Stephen Roberts, no doubt to the agreement of fans who bought 2004's Vehicles And Animals and the judging panel that shortlisted it for the Mercury Award. But we wanted to push ourselves further.
We'll always love good melodies, agrees guitarist/vocalist Joel Pott. But pop in itself wasn't enough for this record.

Instead, when Joel, Stephen, bassist/vocalist Carey Willetts, and keyboardist/vocalist Tim Wanstall began making plans for the new album, they set themselves two goals. Goal number one was to increase the richness of their music. We started playing each other records we love, working out what we appreciated about them and how we could bring that to our music, explains Joel.

They decided, for example, that they cherished the simplicity of Massive Attack's Mezzanine ( It evokes emotion by not doing very much ); the use of strings on Beck's Sea Change ( They're not just pasted in--there's a point to them ), and the whole mood of the Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin ( It's just so big and bold and beautiful ).

They also realized how much they liked the balance that Neil Young achieves between a grand sound and a lyrical intimacy--which brings us to goal number two. We said, 'let's get more personal on these songs,' remembers Joel. Let's be more honest and open.

But first they had to finish off almost two years of continuous touring in support of Vehicles And Animals. It had all begun with a debut gig to a handful of mates in a Deptford pub in March 2002 - the same month that their bouncing debut single Westside was released in the UK. At that stage, they hadn't even finished writing Vehicles And Animals, let alone recording it, but the Deptford show set them on a path to success that would culminate almost 200 gigs later in January 2004 with a triumphant sell-out date a few miles up the road at Brixton Academy in London.

Success came gradually but steadily over those 22 months, We learnt to be patient, admits Tim. Athlete were never a particularly hyped band. Instead, as they played more gigs and released more singles, their following grew. I think we built up a fan base in the way that bands did years ago, says Joel. Rather than being told to like us, people discovered us for themselves.

Following the release of the album's U.K. release, the summer of 2003 was a particularly fruitful time. Shortly after wowing the curious masses at both Glastonbury and T In The Park festivals with their euphoric live show, the band were delighted to find themselves nominated for the Mercury Award. I think there's an underdog waiting to be discovered by the Mercury every year, says Stephen. And that year it was us.

By the time we played V (festival) at the end of the summer it seemed like everybody there knew the record, says Joel. There was this massive crowd of about 20,000 people, all singing along.

Following a European tour, the band headed to the U.S. to play a triumphant gig at SXSW, where they were hailed by Rolling Stone as one of 5 bands that shined at SXSW.

Afterwards, the band took a week off before heading straight into the studio to start work on the album they had such clear plans for. The touring had been great, says Stephen, but by then we were absolutely itching to get on with making the next record.

Recorded in Sussex and London and mixed in New York, the result is Tourist, an album that, happily, more than matches the band's ambitions. Like Vehicles And Animals, it's bursting with glorious guitar-pop hooks, but newfound confidence means it packs a solid, emotional punch right from the off, as opening song Chances builds to its rousing chorus on a wave of piano, soft electro flourishes, and crescendos of epic strings.

While in the studio the band and record producer, Victor Van Vugt, constantly challenged each other on the direction each song should take. They knew the songs had to have good melodies but a touch of something special was needed too. That's why Tourist is full of subtle sonic swerves. The aching Half Light veers smoothly into a flutes 'n' beats breakdown, a spirited gospel choir leads us to the end of the uplifting I Found Out, Modern Mafia 's snappy strut is built upon sleigh bells, and the soft-centered final track I Love ends in a gentle flurry of electro bleeps. It's as sonically rich as they'd hoped for.

And, just as they'd planned, the album's lyrics glow with an openness and honesty. This record reflects our real experiences, says Joel. A lot of it's about enjoying being away on tour, doing amazing things, but missing people at home and figuring out how to keep relationships going.

It's dark in places and it faces some harsh realities, adds Carey, but at the same time it's beautiful, hopeful and uplifting.

He's not wrong. The song, Wires, is the perfect case in point. Although not a comfortable subject to talk about, Joel admits the song concerns a harrowing experience. It's about a moment when you feel like you could lose somebody you really love, he says. But the feeling of relief when you realize they are going to be alright.
Written by Record Label