TRACK REVIEW: Blossoms - If You Think This Is Real Life

TRACK REVIEW:

Blossoms

PHOTO CREDIT: Ewan Ogden

If You Think This Is Real Life

9.6/10

The track, If You Think This Is Real Life, is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqFPVCDfkN8

GENRE:

Indie Pop

ORIGIN:

Stockport, U.K.

The album, Foolish Loving Spaces, is available via:

https://store.blossomsband.co.uk/

RELEASE DATE:

31st January, 2020

LABEL:

Universal Music Operations Ltd.

PRODUCERS:

James Skelly and Rich Turvey

__________

I was originally going to…

feature Gorillaz in the review section this week but, with a new album out, I am keen to spotlight Blossoms. I have a lot to unpack and discuss when it comes to the band. If you are new to them, Blossoms consists Tom Ogden – lead vocals, rhythm guitars, piano, songwriter; Charlie Salt – bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals; Josh Dewhurst – lead guitars, percussion; Joe Donovan – drums, and Myles Kellock – keyboards, synthesizers, piano, backing vocals. They have just released their third album, Foolish Loving Spaces, and I understand the guys are already looking ahead to a fourth album. If you want to catch them on tour, check out where they are heading, and go and get your ticket. The guys are in inspired mood right now because, with a successful, brilliant and much-praised third album out in the world, they are already thinking about their fourth album. This NME article goes into more detail:

“Blossoms say they’ve written “most” of their next album, despite their third LP only being released yesterday (January 31).

The Stockport band’s new album ‘Foolish Loving Spaces’ came out this week, and frontman Tom Ogden has revealed in a new interview that they’re already well on the way to sharing what’s next.

Talking to the Daily Star, Ogden said: “We’ve got most of the next record written, but I won’t say too much about it as we’re really excited about the album that’s just coming out too!”

He added that “the first single from our fourth album is pretty much done,” admitting that the band “don’t want to wait too long before putting out something brand new.”

The frontman went on to say that he’s also thought about writing songs for pop stars, believing that some of his tracks would be perfect for Dua Lipa.

“I recently found a load of songs on my computer that Blossoms haven’t released and, when I listened to them, I thought: ‘Wow, this could be great for Dua Lipa’,” he said.

“Writing songs is when I feel most comfortable and if the right offer came about to write for someone, I would definitely do it”.

I am looking out at the Pop scene, and there are very few artists that are bringing in a sense of the optimistic, hopeful and bright. Maybe Pop music has changed so that now artists are putting the narcissistic and personal over the euphoric and universal. I am not suggesting Pop is dead and it has no validity, but I wonder the bad mood will abate and we can regain that high. Blossoms are one of these bands who, since the start of their career, have been all about the giddiness Pop can provide. Sure, there are more emotive and reflective songs in their catalogue, but they are synonymous with an energy and sunshine that you do not hear too often. I understand the guys have spoken about the possibility of writing for an artist like Dua Lipa. I think collaboration between the two camps would be great. Dua Lipa is preparing to bring out her album, Future Nostalgia, and her music dips into the 1980s. Maybe it is not quite as catchy as Blossoms’ sound, but she is someone who is looking more in the direction of the uplifting and neon. I am looking forward to seeing what she produces with that album and, as Blossoms seem keen to pair with her, I think they could create something pretty special. Away from Dua Lipa and Blossoms, how many other artists do you hear trying to give Pop its pop back? I could count the artists on two hands and I’d probably have a couple of fingers left! Maybe 2020 is a year when things will change and artists will try and rekindle the sound we experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. Blossoms are great because they are not just about aimless choruses and cheeriness. They write songs that stay in the head, but their music has depth and they are a relatable band.

I want to quote from an interview they provided when they were discussing their eponymous album of 2016. They were asked about 1990s’ nostalgia and what they wanted from their debut:

“We wanted it to be an album of relentless pop songs, which is what we’re into. We used to rehearse in a scaffolding yard (in Stockport) and we’d try songs out there, whereas with the second half of the album we haven’t had time to do that as we’ve been touring, so we just built it in the studio from scratch. Half of it is singles we’ve already released and then the second half is brand new songs that were crafted in the studio.

To me the album says, 'Here are five lads who’ve crated something that will stand up there with great albums that have gone before it.' We’re an all-out guitar/synth pop band and we want to be around for a long time, we think it’s a timeless album.

On 90s nostalgia…

I don’t think we have a problem with nostalgia. We’ve seen bands like Oasis in huge arenas because they mean that much to you, they’re more than just a band. It sets them apart from the many other bands who don’t resonate in the same way. You can’t fault someone for becoming that popular, that’s what we aspire to – to mean that much to people.

On not just writing pop songs…

The best bands evolve. We don’t want to put out the same album – we don’t want to go heavy metal on the next one, but we just want to progress like the Arctic Monkeys did. For us it could be a breakthrough in a keyboard sound or something completely new; that freedom is what makes being in a band exciting”.

In terms of how they have evolved since 2016, one can see their music heading in a slightly different direction. The eponymous debut was lauded because it sounded fresh and the songs resonated and connected. This was Pop music one could sing along to and it remained in the head long after listening – that is a rare thing in these times. The Stockport band released Foolish Loving Spaces on a U.S. label; they have been nominated for the Mercury Prize and have had exposure in the U.S. – having played Coachella and played a successful tour there. The band recorded their first two albums in Liverpool but, as their stock has risen, it is inevitable that Blossoms would head closer to America. In this recent interview, the Stockport band discussed their third album and mixing big choruses with slightly more emotional moments:

“Known for their big singalong synth-pop choruses and earworm melodies on favorites such as “Charlemagne,” “Honey Sweet” and “There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls),” the band are equally loved for their Northern charm and humor. Get a healthy dose of this with their Blossoms podcast or what they’ve lovingly-termed pubcast—as it’s recorded in the local watering-hole where the band got their name. On it, they poke fun at themselves with segments like “Favorite Youtube Negative Comments” where frontman, Tom Ogden will read then deconstruct biting comments, prompting fits of laughter from the others in the band. While most artists might ignore or get upset at these comments, Blossoms magnanimously give these haters kudos for well-crafted criticisms.

The front half of the album is filled with these big choruses that you guys do so well and then about 2/3rd s into it, after “Oh No I Think I’m In Love”— which is like a Kylie Minogue-Stock Aitken Waterman song circa 1988 — it suddenly takes on a different mood with “Romance Eh.” The closing track “Like Gravity” is almost downbeat. Was that intentional?

I think “Oh No I Think I’m In Love” is the most pop sound on the album. We demoed 25 songs and were originally going to do 3 small albums because the songs were all different kinds of moods. Then we decided to just do 1 album so we had to pick from the 25 which ones fitted together as an album; so that’s why there’s like you said 2 halves in there. But we also didn’t want them all to have the same mood. When we lined the songs up we just picked it in a way that it flowed right—so that was our thinking behind it.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ewan Ogden

So this is your third album working with producer James Skelly and Rich Turvey at Parr Street Studios. Did you consider working with any other producer and now that you’ve done this Blossoms trilogy would you consider it in the near future?

We were always open on this album to working with other producers. James Skelly said to us, he thought we should go work with someone else. We almost went to Nashville, but then we weren’t sure who we were working with, and the time schedule was quite tight and it would have cost a lot of money. Then we also got a single out last Summer – we were always going to work on another single with James and Rich, and we did “Your Girlfriend” and it went so well and sounded so different. And we thought we don’t really need to go to Nashville to find this new sound anyway…”

I love the fact they worked with James Skelly because, as the Coral lead singer has recorded and produced some pretty incredible records himself, he has brought something new to the Blossoms camp. I am intriguing to see where they head with their fourth album and whether it was a Radiohead Kid A/Amnesiac situation: recording the two albums during the same session/time and releasing them a year apart. Blossoms could have recorded Foolish Loving Spaces in America and worked with a big producer like Rick Rubin or Mark Ronson. Rather than going for glitzy studios and adding lots of unnecessary new angles and sounds to the pot, they have not strayed that far from their first couple of albums. I think it is the relatability and grounded nature of Blossoms that makes them so popular. It all goes back to that aim Blossoms have: to concoct big choruses and get people singing along. Maybe it is uncool what they are putting out into the world now but, compared with the super-cool Pop that lacks heart and warmth, I know what I prefer!

I am going back and forth with the chronology here, but I want to bring in an article from 2017 where Blossoms sort of highlighted their grounded nature and how they were just ordinary chaps from the North:

“There are more people who sit in economy class than business. We appeal to economy,” is how Donovan puts it. He’s on a mission to find the best spaghetti Bolognese in every town Blossoms play. He’s not so interested in trying new things. If you want to be an otherworldly rock freak, you don’t name your band after your local pub.

We talk about the handful of other groups who are really succeeding right now, Macclesfield’s The 1975 being the obvious frontrunners. Their singer Matt Healy: now there’s a rock star. “He’d probably be like that if he were working at the Co-op. You need people like that. Whereas I like baked beans on toast,” says Ogden. “I just write good tunes. I just happen to be in this situation but I’m not going to be something that I’m not. Come back in a year and I might be wearing make-up, but I don’t think I will”.

I may circle back to this subject a bit later, but there are not that many big bands at the moment from the Greater Manchester area. Sure, there are a lot of talented new acts, but I still think the media is obsessed with what is coming from London. Maybe they assume London music is edgier, more important and popular, but listen to what The 1975 are producing and how incredible Blossoms’ music is. I hope things change this year, and more eyes and ears head up to the North! I might tip back to this subject later but, before then, I want to cover the aspect of longevity and consistency when one thinks of Blossoms – and, of course, I need to review a track from their new album! In 2018, the band was featured in the Yorkshire Evening Post, and they discussed how they want to remain and be around for a very long time. I do think Pop has become more about saturating sounds and something edgier, darker and more repetitive. Artists are pushing further away from something commercial or old-school. Instead, there is a wave of Pop around that talk about subjects like mental-health and anxiety; songs that are noted more for their rawness than anything upbeat. I have nothing against that; it’s just that there is not a lot to balance this against. I think Blossoms are a band who keep true to their sound and are unashamed about providing music that makes you feel better – even if their subject matter is not quite as deep as some of their peers:

“Full credit then to the Greater Manchester five-piece, for remaining one of the genre’s leading commercial lights in a time of trap and tropical-pop saturation – though frontman Tom Ogden is wary to say that they’re in the big time yet.

“I think we see our success in longevity more than anything else,” he notes on a wintery April afternoon, languid in his phrasing.

“We want to be around for a long, long time, to still evolve as a band, to stay important to people.”

He mulls it over. “We’re still early on in our career, in terms of where we want to go; to be able to keep doing what we get to do will be a marker of having ‘made it’ as such.”

There’s no tension in our camp, really,” he responds. “We very rarely argue; we’re nearly always on the same page, we don’t pull off in wildly disparate directions. Harmony is the way to go for us; it works so well!”

I said this would be a bit random regarding chronology, but I think there is a connection between the more upbeat and spirited Pop sound and a North-South divide. I am hearing a lot of great and classic Pop coming from the North, whereas there are comparatively few bands like Blossoms in the South.

I do want more people to look to Manchester and the North, as there is too much reliance and proliferation of London acts. Blossoms know their roots, and the band would have grown up listening to some Manchester legends, never dreaming they would join them one day. This 2018 article from Dork shows how much it means to Blossoms to be associated with the Manchester greats:

“While Tom and the band spent their childhoods admiring Manchester's heroes from afar, little did they realise that they'd be welcomed into the ranks themselves one day. Contemplating what it means to be a part of Manchester's music scene, Ogden explains: "It's like a close-knit family, they look after one and other. We played first with the Courteeners; then we supported The Stone Roses. So yeah, I think it's just like, Manchester as a city - it kind of takes to its bands, it really loves them. They just support the bands like they might a football team. It's crazy, but we're fortunate that we come from this neck of the woods, we seem to get a lot of support because of that".

I shall leave thing here regarding background and biography, as I am keen to reviewing Blossoms’ single, If You Think This Is Real Life. It is the opening song from Foolish Loving Spaces and a perfect way to kick the album off! The album has gained some great reviews, and it will be exciting for fans to hear these new tracks at gigs. I shall get down to reviewing a great song from Blossoms…

The band wastes no time in getting down to business when it comes to If You Think This Is Real Life. I think people say listeners tend to skip tracks – if they are streaming songs – after about twenty seconds or so if they are not hooked – it might be less than that. Attention spans are so short that people require something that hooks them right away. Bands like Blossoms are worth investigation no matter when the kick comes in, but their latest single starts straight with the chorus. There is a nice blend of something tropical, 1980s; a bit of Take That’s Relight My Fire (in terms of the vibe and beats), and some of the Britpop bands of the 1990s. One is hooked right in, and you get this delightful sunniness that warms the blood. I love how addictive and catchy the sound is, and one goes back to the song again and again because it begins with such a rush! The lyrics sort of balance out the cheer and warmth of the composition with something a little more heartbroken. Even when Blossoms are talking about regrets and deceit, they manage to make it sound okay, like everything will be alright. Our hero sings about a promise he made to a girl before taking it back. “I made a mess of your heart/I think we’re falling apart” is honest and revealing. The hero left his girl out in the rain; there is accusation and a sense that her man has caused damage and is repeating bad patterns. Maybe there is too much blame on one side, but Blossoms’ Tom Ogden seems to dismiss her words. Perhaps he is getting blamed unnecessarily, or this conflict is exaggerated. The chorus is the real heart and diamond of the song. There is a little bit of Kid Creole and The Coconuts; the Stockport band incorporating something Caribbean and sun-drenched into their palette.

I love the swagger and swing of the chorus! It is one that will get you swinging along and stay in the head for ages! When the chorus comes in, I start to wonder whether we are hearing about romantic disentanglement or something to do with friendship. The words “If you think this is real life/Look and you may find/Run son it’s your sunlight/Don’t act so uptight” would suggest friends clashing and falling out, so maybe the song is not so easy to predict and straightforward. It is the bracing honesty and lack of concern that makes the song so interesting to unpick. The second verse talks about the two – the lovers or estranged mates – being at the point of no return. The more the words unfurl, the more indiscretion and romantic strife seems the likely inspiration. The girl says they need to get help and, when the two are bickering, the hero sleeps with one of her friends. It is, as the hero says, the end and something unacceptable. I wonder whether the hero is destroying the relationship to get a rise or whether it is the girl that is cheating. When he says about sleeping with one of your friend, it is not 100% whether that is the woman saying that or him; I go back to the song and my mind changes each time. The verses are backed by this cheerier mood and sense of building carnival. One might think the merry backing would jar against lyrics that are quite tense and combative but, actually, it is a perfect blend. So many other Pop acts would pen a composition that is all angered, full of machine beats and distorted – think of someone like Grimes. Our hero says that he would travel the world, but he stays in watching the news. The song comes back to this idea that the other party is uptight and has caused this division. Blossoms are keen to get back to the chorus – and why wouldn’t you?! -, and it sort of adds extra weight and meaning to the verses. One is helpless to resist the alluring and colourful cocktail of the chorus; it is one of the biggest of the year so far and one that will be hard to beat! If You Think This Is Real Life is a fantastic opener to Foolish Loving Spaces and, if you think this is the only spirit-lifting gem from the album, then you need to investigate the whole album! I chose If You Think This Is Real Life because it is a single and, to me, the best song Blossoms have released so far.

It has been a busy and eventful last three-and-a-bit years since Blossoms released their debut album. So many artists take a long time to produce albums and progress, but Blossoms have come a long way in a short time. Their debut was well-received and, from there, the band has amassed a clan of fans and are getting bigger and better. They will not have too much time to relax this year as there is a big demand and, with fans across the world, their name is getting bigger and bigger! I am not surprised that uncomplicated and positive Pop is providing popular. Many people mourn the loss of that optimism and kick – I am one of them. The boys are pretty determined to get their fourth album out there, and it seems like there is a lot of inspiration and gold running through their veins right now. If You Think This Is Real Life was a great track to review, and you can spin it again and again without becoming bored; you pick up new things every time it comes around. 2020 is going to be an exciting year for Blossoms, and I could well see them playing quite a lot of festivals in the summer. One would not bet against them getting a Glastonbury spot, and I am excited to see where they head. It is a changing time for Pop music, and there are few artists concerned with big choruses and catchiness. Aside from Blossoms, Dua Lipa and Róisín Murphy, there are not too many others crafting these extraordinary, body-moving jams. I shall wrap things up in a second but, before I go, have a listen to Blossoms and follow them if you can – the social media links are at the bottom of this review. The Stockport band has come a long way since their debut but, in a great way, they actually have not moved that far at all. They have not changed their sound for the worse and tried to fit in with what is trending and ‘popular’, nor have they relocated and gone all American. I like that about Blossoms. They are ordinary guys who are making great music and they are not being lured by money, fancy studios and something shiny – let’s hope they stay that way for as long as possible! Foolish Loving Spaces is a great album, and I think it is the best of their career so far. There is no stopping this band and, with a lauded album under their belts, they are looking to the road and bringing their top tunes to the masses. Go see them if you can because, when it comes to their sound and charm, there is no band…