Blossoms
' self-titled first effort sounds less like a debut and more like a greatest-hits album from a veteran group. Years in the making,
is indeed a compilation of sorts, culling eight of twelve songs from the Stockport band's multiple EPs, which were released as early as 2013. As such, there's a sense of disjointedness with the pacing and cohesion, feeling less like a singular vision and more like a singles collection. Nonetheless, the strength of the songwriting and
' keen knack for big hooks kindles excitement from start to finish. From the psych-sludge vibe of their earliest work through their shimmering synth evolution,
prove they can pull off everything from New Romantic sheen to trippy psychedelic groove, giving sly nods to a wide range of fellow countrymen like
the Stone Roses
,
Kasabian
the Coral
(whose own
James Skelly
is a producer here),
Suede
, and
Arctic Monkeys
. Frontman
Tom Ogden
's vocals connect the wide range of sounds, bridging a gap between
Alex Turner
and
Richard Ashcroft
, while the band --
Joe Donovan
(drums),
Charlie Salt
(bass, vocals),
Josh Dewhurst
(guitar), and
Myles Kellock
(keyboards, vocals) -- zigzag from confident cool ("Charlemagne") to driving urgency ("At Most a Kiss"), and bucolic pleasantries ("Blown Rose") to nocturnal chill ("Smashed Pianos"). There's a lot going on here, which makes for a listen that seldom bores. "Getaway" rides an open-road
Killers
synth melody that merges with
Keane
along the way, while "Honey Sweet" carries those synths further into
the 1975
territory. For fans of their early EPs, that murky darkness creeps in on a handful of tracks like the sleazy
redux on "Cut Me and I'll Bleed" and their first single "Blow." Of the newer songs, "Texia" is a standout, echoing the bass bounce of
New Order
Pet Shop Boys
through a
Groove Armada
lens. Overall,
is a strong debut that distills the best of the quintet's diverse influences into a catchy amalgam that opts to shoot for the mainstream rather than stick to the same old sound. [
was also released in an Extended Edition featuring ten bonus tracks.] ~ Neil Z. Yeung