fri 20/12/2024

CD: Blossoms - Blossoms | reviews, news & interviews

CD: Blossoms - Blossoms

CD: Blossoms - Blossoms

Mainstream indie-pop that's bound to make waves

Blossoms' eponymous album: a beautiful journey

If you’re still searching for a summer soundtrack, look no further. Blossoms will make you want to immediately take a road trip around Devon, cruising at sunset, musing over easygoing lyrics and having a bit of a hum while appreciating a good strum.

The synth-heavy "Charlemagne" drags you immediately into a beautiful journey, with a cruising rhythm and gratifying melody. It’s cheerful indie, with none of the tormented whinging we experienced the first time round in the 90s (and with some of the more recent "nu-retro" stuff). "At Most a Kiss" keeps the pace, driving and persistent before "Getaway" lifts you again into the tuneful story of doomed romance, with a catchy chorus of "I’m over you, you’re under me, this is the last time, don't say it's the last time… tonight we can get away”.

This band on the rise is more than a mere musical pastiche

There’s a little more of this touching soft rock sound in "Honey Sweet" (and "Deep Grass" with the memorably poetic lyric, "Let’s fly back to the sound of rain that you love"). It’s the sort of music that encourages you to hold hands and run heedless in the direction of the wind, perfect for a Magisto video edit.

Blossoms' eponymous album has a strong indie-pop undertow with some unmistakably Suede-like qualities, and it’s easy to draw myriad musical comparisons such as Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys and Richard Ashcroft. But this band on the rise is more than a mere musical pastiche. 

Alongside frontman Tom Ogden, Charlie Salt (bass, backing vocals), Josh Dewhurst (lead guitar), Joe Donovan (drums) and Myles Kellock (keyboards) form a unified front and their slickly managed sound is sure to please the masses. A commercial edge to their sound will undoubtedly lead to big hits for these Stockport boys but there are some real gems in this album. "Blown Rose" is a beautiful love song that serenades us about “the stately homes of England” and "Smashed Pianos" prove their poetic kudos as well as their musical prowess.

It’s cheerful indie, with none of the tormented whinging we experienced the first time round in the 90s

rating

Editor Rating: 
4
Average: 4 (1 vote)

Share this article

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters