Still today, whenever Charlemagne comes on the radio, or comes on when a playlist is shuffled, there’s a sense of hearing a brand new song. The innovative use of synths in a riff that has now been forever imbedded in my brain is trademark Blossoms; the whole song – with that jangling riff in particular – sum up their one-of-a-kind, boisterous indie pop style in just 2 minutes and 47 seconds. Two years after the single’s release, and the Stockport quintet have had a crack at the tricky second album, named Cool Like You. Their formula for tackling it? Change nothing.
There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) kicks off the album with no subtlety whatsoever. Underscored by pulsating bass, the song opens with yet another piercing synth riff. The verses peter out, but the memorable lyrics and colossal instrumentalism come together for the chorus to make for a song perfect for their headline sets. Next track, I Can’t Stand It, is similar in it’s funky bass and sizzling synth, while the eponymous number is the sparkling eighties vibes of the previous two tracks on steroids.
After these three tracks comes Unfaithful, a strong album stand-out. Fairly reminiscent sound-wise to At Most A Kiss from their self-titled debut, the song is still overpowered by synths, but this time they have a grittier, angrier punch, rather than sounding shimmery and euphoric. It’s interesting to see how they use their classic instrumental methodologies and manipulate them for different moods. I Just Imagined You follows a similar vein, but doesn’t carry the same force, while Lying Again comes close to replicating the same feel, more through the powerful bass and chanted lyrics than synth, however.
Much like on their debut, there’s some attempt at balladry. In fact, many of the songs here are grounded in heartache, but tracks like Stranger Still carry more emotion by toning down the instruments somewhat (perhaps except from during the chorus) and putting more of a focus on Tom Ogden’s crooning. Love Talk is a slow closer to the album about a long distance relationship, and also brings sad Christmas songs to mind, with the opening synth kind of similar to the Band Aid classic and some bell chimes later on. More sincerity can be found on the deluxe edition of the album, with acoustic versions of every song. Although, none of these almost-ballads reach the splendour of their counterparts on the debut; My Favourite Room, Onto Her Bed, even Smashed Pianos, are a lot more profound.
And looking back on Cool Like You, none of the songs really equal the gravity of the Blossoms track list. Maybe it’s because we’ve heard it all before. Charlemagne, At Most a Kiss, Honey Sweet – all new and exciting at the time, but their replicas on Cool Like You aren’t exactly like that; more like a re-make of a movie that will never match the brilliance of the original because of the awe and nostalgia associated with it. Having said that, there’s not a bad song on the album. They’re all very, very good, ready to blow the roof off arenas, and – most importantly – quintessentially Blossoms.
Blossoms – Cool Like You: 8/10
Ellie Chivers
