Who the fresh hell is Gary you might ask?! Wonder no more, the trusty team at CLASH is on hand to give you all the intel you need on the mysterious Gazza. ‘Gary’ was named after an eight-foot-tall fibreglass gorilla that was stolen from a Scottish garden centre. As you do.
Stockport indie giants Blossoms have always had a nostalgic sonic infusion throughout their music and ‘Gary’ is another shining example of that. The glassy gorilla was the inspiration and indeed the lynchpin for the band’s fifth studio album.
With production from long-time collaborator James Skelly from The Coral and collaborations with Jungle’s Josh-Lloyd Watson and Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, ‘Gary’ is chock-full of glittering riffs, intoxicating hooks and exuberant bass lines.
The vibrant dancefloor vibes are emblazoned throughout the album, and especially so with the effervescent ‘I Like Your Look’. The band collaborated with the fantastic Mercury Prize nominated CMAT on this track and it has the potential to be a Blossoms classic in the vein of ‘Your Girlfriend’, it’s playful and frothy and sees the band trying something new which should be applauded.
Musically, throughout the album, the band were influenced by the likes of Hall & Oates, David Bowie and Blondie whose ‘Rapture’ influenced ‘I Like Your Look’, but the track also feels reminiscent of Wham’s ‘Wham Rap!’ with Ogden and CMAT exchanging stylish quips over a disco-infused beat with a catchy refrain of “I think your flares are so cute – I like… your look!” Of course, the band are almost as well-known for their sartorial prowess and shampoo ad’ perfect hair as they are for their music and there’s no surprise that the stylings for this track are pure 80s.
The rest of the album is straight out of the Blossoms playbook though and is a collection of tracks based on different stories and personal experiences and effortlessly showcase Tom Ogden’s songwriting which is always assured and quirky.
The sunny-soaked ‘Nightclub’ tells the story of trying to get into a nightclub and you can see the influence from Jungle’s Josh Lloyd-Watson thanks to its multi-textured layers and sing-along lyrics.
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Opening track ‘Big Star’ with its expansive guitars, talks of Tom seeing a well-known music journalist in the Chateau Marmont and contemplating whether to go over and say hello. Posing the question “maybe he could make me a big star?!” As the song evolves, it transpires that all that glitters is not gold and Tom’s perspective changes from an enthusiastic plea to a more ambivalent and reflective: “Do I really wanna be a big star…?”
Lead singles ‘What Can I Say After I’m Sorry’ and the titular track ‘Gary’ are standouts, full of catchy hooks, scintillating synths and tight melodies. ‘Gary’ is witty, captivating and has a real eighties sound and has a similar vibe to XTC’s ‘Making Plans for Nigel’. You can’t help but be invested in this track with Ogen’s clever storytelling of the captivating capers of ‘Gary’.
The anthemic ‘Perfect Me’ tells the story of the exhaustion and pressure to be perfect and the best version of yourself with lines like “come to my senses, life’s not easy / it leaves you guessing, just keep breathing…” Tom and the boys offer words of wisdom such as “show your friends empathy / make more time for family” which coupled with the mesmerising guitar intro is a classic Blossoms’ track.
Whilst the sonics of ‘Gary’ is focused on the seventies and eighties, ‘Mothers’ takes a different approach and has a laidback whimsical sixties sound and tells the story of Tom and Joe’s friendship and the different milestones they went through together – “My God, You’ve always had my back with a diet coke and mentos pack!” It talks of how their mums were friends in the 80s and how they used to dance to The Smiths and (Blossoms pal) Rick Astley.
If you could sum up the fifth studio album in one word, it would be ‘liberating’, the band have released ‘Gary’ on their own label and have relished in the freedom for making music for themselves and the fans that love them. It feels like the album they were waiting to make and the band have created a cohesive, well-crafted and captivating album which is testament to their artistry and James Skelly’s impeccable production values.
What happened to Gary in the end? Well, the glass-fibred gorilla met his demise and was found sawn in half in a lay-by earlier this year. Thankfully, the future for Blossoms’ ‘Gary’ looks much brighter and is also less likely to result in any kind of sawing action.
8/10
Words: Emma Harrison // @emmahwriter
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