Blossoms released their debut album back in August which, as expected, became the biggest selling debut of 2016 so far. As all die-hard Blossoms fans will know, they had a great repertoire of EPs and singles before their album, so to finally get all those tracks re-released on an extended album is a treat.

Blossoms’ debut album was led by singles such as ‘Charlemagne’ and ‘At Most A Kiss’, which are easily fan favourites, channelling ’80s vibes combined with raw and powerful anthemic melodies. Tom Ogden’s vocals are a definite selling point; his voice is so subtle yet when a big chorus comes around he can belt out notes as well as Bono. And Tom’s talents are definitely not wasted on these extra tracks that have just been released.

A lot of the tracks are more chilled and laid back than the original songs on the record. For example, ‘Stormy’ makes me think of 1950’s New York, with the rhythm being slightly swung and the minimal but effective piano parts. I can just imagine Tom Ogden dress as Monroe while sat on a piano in a dive bar! These extra tracks showcase the song writing talents of these lads perfectly. ‘Polka Dots Bones’ gives off Humbug-era Arctic Monkey vibes, and then suddenly we hear this Egyptian-esque synth riff, which is unusual for an indie tune, but it works perfectly.

Blossoms’ tunes are incredibly danceable, and my favourite song from the album, ‘Fourteen’, is no exception. The bass on this song is infectious, whenever I listen to it I can feel my head just spinning itself around automatically… Blossoms are giving us the goods this year when it comes to massive indie tracks, and I can imagine there’s more to come. What I’ve always found with this is that you never know what to expect, but you can always expect it to be absolutely brilliant.

Blossoms (Extended Edition) is out now via Virgin EMI Records.

Jimmy Ingham