Travis frontman Fran Healey says drummer Neil Primrose's near-death experience last summer has changed the band and inspired their new album.
Healey reckons the band came close to splitting up after Primose injured his neck in a diving accident. But a year on he says the doubt over the band's future freed him from the pressure of expectation and allowed him to write what he views as the band's best work to date.
Healey said: "After Neil's accident, we thought the band was finished. We came to the edge of the precipice. We had eight months off and it felt like being on the dole, but with cash, so I just sat around writing songs like I did when there was no pressure. It was the most creative time we've ever had as a band."
As yet untitled, the new album, is due out in Sep and was largely recorded in the north of Scotland with former Crowded House producer Tchad Blake.