The band had a brief period of high-profile domestic success in which their debut album "Vehicles & Animals" (2003) was a platinum seller in 2005 and Mercury Music Prize nomination. It was followed up by "Tourist" (2005) which reached No. 1 and sold over 500,000 copies allowing this album to also go platinum. Athlete's subsequent two albums, "Beyond the Neighbourhood" (2007) and "Black Swan" (2009), saw the band exploring different styles, influenced by the works of artists such as Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.