A burst of energy from Travis.
Although I was a fan of the first two Travis albums I've lost sight of them a little over the years, mainly because they seemed to release one dull single after another, giving me no reason to investigate any of their later albums. 'Selfish Gene' is a breath of fresh air however and the first time I heard it I had no idea it was Travis and was surprised to discover such a memorable hit could have fallen from Travis's pen.
With a thumping intro that borrows a little of its sound from Iggy Pop's 'Lust for Life', it develops into a summery indie hit with plenty of bounce and exuberance to share. The kind of song that could be an anthem at this summer's festivals and likely to receive widespread airplay, Travis seem to have created a treat. For those, like me who may have written off Travis the song illustrates what they're capable of, and that, I hope, is more memorable upbeat ventures like this and less of the plodding ballads.