I should start this by saying that I’m a huge Blossoms fan, and have been since I first saw them in 2015, seeing them live 20+ times since, so this won’t be a very impartial or unbiased review.
I’ve loved how they’ve evolved their sound each album, but without losing their core identity or fanbase. It’s a hard thing for bands to do and I’ve seen plenty lose most of their older fans after the first couple of albums, but Blossoms just seem to get bigger and bigger as time goes on.
The marketing around the album has been fascinating, the story around Gary the Gorilla has been told all over now, and has picked up so much mainstream attention. Add to having Sean Dyche and Rick Astley in the videos released before the album, appearing on talk shows like Graham Norton and bringing Gary himself to Jools Holland, it feels like they’re stepping up to the next level now.
The songs
The sound is pretty diverse throughout the album, and the influence of collaborators Jungle and CMAT are clear in certain songs. Its a very consistent album for me, with even the newer ones sounding like old favourites within a couple of listens, which is something Blossoms have become adept at over the years.
‘Big Star’ opens, and is a lot more guitar driven than many of their recent tracks, complete with some of Tom Ogden’s excellent storytelling lyrics. This is followed up by singles ‘What Can I Say After I’m Sorry’, with a synth driven track where you can hear the influence of producers Jungle , and the title track ‘Gary’, an insanely catchy pop track which tells the story of the kidnapped fibreglass gorilla of the same name, with plenty of humour throughout.
After this it starts to veer off in a new direction for the band. ‘I Like Your Look’, with CMAT on vocals, is a completely different type of track to anything they’ve done before, but will be stuck in your head for days. Its even started getting some radio play, so could attract some new fans.
‘Nightclub’ is another where you can hear the Jungle influence, again complete with a very relatable story about a group being unable to get into a nightclub. It’s a tale straight out of all of our teenage years! Another very catchy one.
Us vinyl listeners have to turn over at this point, with single ‘Perfect Me’ next up. This is a bit more of a “traditional” Blossoms song, and honestly is one of my favourites they’ve ever done. Super catchy, it has the build up and guitar solo and some great lyrics about the downsides of perfectionism. It’s excellent live too.
‘Mothers’ and ‘Cinnamon’ are more acoustic driven storytelling songs, and both are extremely catchy. 42s Nightclub, The Smiths and Rick Astley all get a mention!
‘Slow Down’ is very atmospheric, and the final song ‘Why Do I Give You The Worst of Me’ is up there with the best Blossoms songs for me. Raw and from the heart lyrics and a proper atmospheric build-up song, backed up by a driving guitar all the way through. It is similar to ‘Like Gravity’ from Foolish Loving Spaces, though maybe a bit more upbeat.
Overall, an excellent album where the band push forward both commercially and musically, but without leaving anyone behind.
The vinyl
The vinyl is really cool, with the artwork being created by the band themselves. This includes a handwritten lyric book, and the track list on the back is also handwritten, which is a really nice touch:
