UK indie rock band Blossoms have announced that their fifth album, Gary, will be released on September 20th, their first since 2022’s Ribbon Around The Bomb, which reached No. 1 in the UK. The band also released the title track “Gary” and music video. Directed by Ewan Ogden and frontman Tom Ogden, the video features legendary pop singer Rick Astley and Sean Dyche, manager of the English soccer team Everton FC. Dyche plays the same character as in their previous single, “What Can I Say After I’m Sorry?”, which was released in May and attracted attention.
Blossoms – Gary
Speaking about the new song “Gary” and its video, lead singer Tom Ogden said:
“The video was directed by my brother Ewan Ogden and I and is a sequel to our last video. The song is based on a true story we heard on the radio last year – about an 8ft fibreglass gorilla called Gary who was stolen from Reynard Gardens in Carluke, Scotland. We brought the story to life on film, with Rick Astley playing Andrew Scott, the garden centre owner, and the band stealing Gary. We had a lot of fun making this video and shot it again on 16mm film around Stockport, the Peak District and Derbyshire. It’s the core song on the album and we considered lots of different titles but always came back to ‘Gary’ – it just had to be ‘Gary’.”
Blossoms’ new album was produced by regular collaborators The Coral’s James Skelly and Jungle’s Josh Lloyd Watson, who worked on their hits “What Can I Say After I’m Sorry?” and “Nightclub.” Irish singer CMAT also co-wrote two tracks on the album, “I Like Your Look” and “Why Do I Give You The Worst Of Me?”.
Blossoms – What Can I Say After I’m Sorry?
Tom Ogden explains the album:
“At the heart of this album is the five of us recording live in the same room for the first time in years. We wanted to capture the energy of five friends deciding to form a band and make music together. We also collaborated more on this album than we’ve done before, working with long-time collaborator James Skelly as well as including Josh[Lloyd Watson]and CMAT[Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson]. We rented an Airbnb on the beach in Anglesey and holed up with Ciara for some writing sessions which were some of the most inspiring few days we’ve had as a band. We listened to a lot of Bowie, Blondie and Hall & Oates while we were writing.”
Ogden also talks about how standout tracks on the album, such as “Big Star,” “I Like Your Look” and “Mothers,” came about:
“The songs on the album are based on a variety of events, mostly personal experiences. ‘Big Star’ is about seeing a famous music journalist at the Chateau Marmont, wondering if I should approach him and introduce myself, but in the end feeling too embarrassed. ‘I Like Your Look’ pays homage to Blondie’s ‘Rapture’ and winks to Joan Baez’s ‘Time Rag’, lyrically satirizing high fashion. ‘Mothers’ is an ode to my friendship with Joe[Donovan]and mentions that our mothers were friends in the ’80s.”
About Blossoms
Since forming in 2013, Blossoms has enjoyed great success and acclaim. Their debut album, Blossoms, topped the UK charts for two consecutive weeks in 2016, and they were nominated for a BRIT Award and a Mercury Prize. Their second album, Cool Like You, reached number four in the UK in 2018, and released anthems such as “I Can’t Stand It” and “There’s Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)”. Their third album, Foolish Loving Spaces, released in 2020, and their fourth album, Ribbon Around The Bomb, released in 2022, both reached number one in the UK. The latter produced classics beloved by their fans such as “Ode To NYC,” “The Sulking Poet,” and “Care For.” They have had five albums reach the top five in the UK, including the live album In Isolation / Live From The Plaza Theatre, Stockport released in 2020.
Rick Astley on Director Sean Dyche’s involvement
Since 2021, Blossoms and Rick Astley have occasionally performed on stage as a cover group of The Smiths, and at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival, the secret set by the two of them caused a big stir. They met Everton FC manager Sean Dyche at Rick’s Manchester concert venue in March this year. Dyche, who had been a self-proclaimed fan of theirs for a long time, and they immediately hit it off. After that, they asked Dyche if he would play a boss-like character in the video shoot, and he readily agreed.
release information
Blossoms
New single “Gary” now available
Streaming link:https://blossoms.orcd.co/gary
New album “Gary” released on 2024.09.20
Music Videos
“Gary” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5UWge0rP-U
“What Can I Say After I’m Sorry?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n75ftaRT8RA
Follow Blossoms:
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@blossoms
Twitter https://twitter.com/BlossomsBand
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BlossomsBand/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/blossomsband
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/blossomsband/
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