‘Foolish Loving Spaces’ sets Blossoms up for expansion

Blossoms

Foolish Loving Spaces

EMI Records· January 31, 2020

Blossoms, a self-described “mosaic five-piece” band, has released their third album, and with it, an acoustic version for each track. The original songs off of Foolish Loving Spaces are undeniably retro, the album laden with upbeat synth-pop melodies and catchy verses centered around love and longing. Lead singer, Tom Ogden, cites Ceramic Animal, the Philadelphia-based WRBB veterans, as a source of psychedelic-rock inspiration. Each track off of Blossoms’ latest release explores the pop side of the genre, creating a solid collection of radio-ready songs. The stripped-down versions are fun too, but a lot of the group’s strength derives from the character that the full-band sound gives them.

“The Keeper” is a perfect example that aptly demonstrates the innocence of Blossoms’ lyrics. Fawning and admiration are the most prevalent themes throughout the album, each refreshing in an industry where most successful acts thrive on maturity of sound and feeling. “The Keeper” tracks the experience of a lovelorn romantic who has seemingly found the girl of his dreams. As he pines and dreams of a lifetime spent with her, a choir helps the vocals fly with soulful accompaniment throughout the song. It’s happy enough to excite fellow romantics, and cheesy enough to revolt any cynics.

The innocence in lyricism, “Oh, girl, you are the keeper/I could swear my heart won’t break in time/My love runs deeper/Let’s spend this life as one/Until we’re bones,” should not be conflated with inexperience or immaturity – Blossoms know their sound, and they perform it well. They’ve also tapped into a genre-fluidity that many other acts steer clear of. Every track off of Foolish Loving Spaces could easily fit into any Top-40 radio station’s playlist. Blossoms stay true to their indie rock influence but incorporate a psychedelic pop-rock that any listener will appreciate.

“Sunday Was a Friend of Mine” circles around the same feeling of infatuation as “The Keeper,” but builds a heavier sound with a catchy guitar riff throughout. This track gets its respect more from the snappy repetition and musicality than the substance of the lyrics itself. It’s about as perfect for chart-climbing as could be.

The music video for “Your Girlfriend” features a literally extraordinary band of misfits including a werewolf, a vampire and Frankenstein’s bride. The quirkiness almost felt like a direct apology for the cliched lyrics, so clearly inspired by the classics “Stacy’s Mom” and “Jesse’s Girl.” That being said, this track is one of the most fun off of the entire album — a feat, considering how catchy and entertaining Foolish Loving Spaces is.

With their third full-length album out for public consumption, Blossoms have set themselves up very well to expand outside of their current UK-heavy popularity, into the internationally-acclaimed ranks of their inspirations. According to recent interviews, their next album is already in progress, meaning there’s no stopping ahead.