REVIEW: Blossoms’ New Album ‘Gary’: Rick Astley, Sean Dyche And An Eight-Foot-Tall Fibreglass Gorilla

Written by on 3rd October 2024

Blossoms live from Wythenshawe Park, 25th August 2024
Adam Edwards / Alamy Stock Photo

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Highlight: Mothers

It’s not every day that you come across indie pop albums about grand theft gorilla. If that’s what you’ve been searching for though, today is your lucky day.

Blossoms are back with their latest album Gary, and they’re getting groovy. Fresh off the back of their third UK number-one album, Blossoms have delivered once again.

At just around 30 minutes, Gary is certainly on the shorter side, but that doesn’t detract from its positives. Gary sees Blossoms bring a lot of retro vibes to the table.

The album launch kicked off with the title track as the lead single, accompanied by music that gave listeners a dramatic retelling of Gary the Gorilla’s disappearance. There were even surprise cameos from Rick Astley and football manager Sean Dyche.

Blossoms’ lead singer and primary songwriter, Tom Ogden, recently said in an interview with NME: “Before I even wrote a song this time, I knew I wanted this album to feel like a party record.”

This is very evident throughout. Gary is driven by bouncy, danceable basslines, with sections of the album almost feeling disco-inspired. The title track, Nightclub, and What Can I Say After Sorry are great examples of this.

Nightclub, in particular, is a highly danceable track about Manchester’s nightlife scene. It’s carried by the very bouncy, groovy bassline I touched on earlier.

This theme continues with Mothers. Ogden reminisces about his youth when his friend first turned 18, and he would use their ID to sneak into clubs. He even name-checks those times.

Mothers feels like a nostalgic track for the ’80s—ironically, a time before any member of Blossoms was born. But that doesn’t matter. They grew up with the songs and their mothers’ stories of the ’80s, relating those experiences to their own journey of breaking into the modern music scene.

“Our mothers said they were friends back in the ’80s
I’ve seen old photos of them, they wore the same things
There was a time before you had your babies
At the club, dance to The Smiths and Rick Astley.”

Underneath these lyrics, Blossoms bring in a very ’80s-inspired synthpop section, reminiscent of something you’d hear from the Pet Shop Boys or Spandau Ballet.

On the other hand, I Like Your Look has a distinct ’70s vibe. From the guitar tones to the groovy basslines, even the lyrics about flared pants scream retro.

Meanwhile, Perfect Me feels more like a classic Blossoms track. Lyrically, it provides the most significant content on the album, exploring themes of self-esteem and vulnerability, contrasting with the otherwise cheery vibe of the record.

Overall, Gary offers a light and airy sound, fitting for an album featuring tracks about giant fiberglass gorillas, nightclub queues, fake IDs, and jeans. It’s playful, and that’s exactly the point.

As drummer Joe Donovan explained in an interview with Dork: “Our last album was us being a bit more serious, it had themes running through it. But this time, it was like, let’s do the other side of us and not take ourselves too seriously.”

“We’re not that band. We’re not dead cool. We’re more of a jokey band, and that suits us more.”

In summary, Gary is a solid indie pop record with an upbeat, danceable vibe. It’s clear that Blossoms took inspiration from the bands they grew up with and had fun in the process. While the album is enjoyable, it does lack a bit of edge. It’s a little too much on the airy pop side, and I’m unsure if it will have major staying power. Nonetheless, it’s a very solid record.


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