Tourist (Athlete album)

Tourist
Tourist
Studio album by Athlete
Released	31 January 2005
Studio	Helioscentric, East Sussex; The Dairy, London; Athlete's studio, London; Abbey Road, London;
Genre	Soft rock
Length	46:15
Label	Parlophone
Producer	Victor Van Vugt; John Cornfield; Athlete;
Athlete chronology
Singles from Tourist
	"Wires"; Released: 17 January 2005; "Half Light"; Released: 25 April 2005; "Tourist"; Released: 15 August 2005; "Twenty Four Hours"; Released: 14 November 2005;

Tourist is the second studio album by English rock band Athlete. It was released on 31 January 2005 through Parlophone. During the promotional cycle for their debut studio album Vehicles & Animals (2003), the band wrote material for its follow-up. Recording sessions were done at Helioscentric Studios in East Sussex, The Dairy in London, and Athlete's studio in London. Victor Van Vugt produced the majority of the tracks, while John Cornfield did the rest; Athlete is credited with producing all of them. The album is a soft rock release with elements of electronic music, taking influence from the works of Coldplay, Doves and the Flaming Lips.

Athlete embarked on a headlining tour of the United Kingdom, prior to the release of the album's lead single "Wires" in January 2005. Another UK tour occurred in March 2005, with additional dates being added to extended it into the next month. "Half Light" was the second single from the album in April 2005, prior to a stint in the United States. The band appeared at V Festival; the performance coincided with the release of the album's third single "Tourist" in August 2005. The band closed the year with a third UK tour, which saw the release of album's "Twenty Four Hours" was released as the fourth single at its conclusion in November 2005.

Tourist received mixed reviews from music critics, with some suggesting that Athlete had failed to sustain the unique style of their previous album, while others saw the new album as a logical progression from their old sound. It peaked at number one in the UK and Scotland, as well as charting in Ireland, Belgium and Australia. The album was certified platinum in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry a month after its release, while "Wires" was certified silver. "Wires" became the band's highest charting single at number four in the UK, and reaching number three in Scotland. "Half Light" peaked at number 16 in the UK, while the remaining singles sat outside the top 40.