A decade on from their self-titled debut, Stockport's finest have arrived at album number six without ever quite losing the wide-eyed pop instincts that got them here. Released today, 2 October via ODD SK / Distiller Records, Songs From The Wedding Cake follows 2024's Gary, which brought Blossoms their first arena tour of the UK, and as one reviewer noted, the album is pre-emptively proving to be an important release for the band. It largely justifies the billing.
From Stockport Bedrooms to Arena Stages
Blossoms have spent a decade quietly becoming one of Britain's most dependable indie-pop exports. Formed in Stockport by school chums Tom Ogden (vocals, guitar) and Joe Donovan (drums), Blossoms later incorporated Charlie Salt (bass, vocals), Josh Dewhurst (guitar), rounding out a lineup built for singalongs. Their catalogue — beginning with their 2016 debut and running through Cool Like You, Foolish Loving Spaces, Ribbon Around the Bomb and Gary — charts a steady evolution from jangly indie disco toward more expansive, synth-kissed songwriting, and this sixth album continues that trajectory.
A Title Rooted at Home
True to form, the band haven't strayed from their Greater Manchester roots even in the record's naming: the album's title takes its name from a Stockport nickname for the town's iconic Victorian town hall, a wink of hometown pride that runs through the record's wry, domestic lyrical concerns — marriage, divorce, commitment and the small comedies of adult life.
The Songs Themselves
Lead single "Joke About Divorce" sets the tone with the kind of chorus Blossoms could seemingly write in their sleep. It's built on infectious call and response vocals, the fetching "woah-oh," and simple yet fun lyrics, described as Blossoms in their comfort zone — and it works precisely because they sound so at ease within it. There's an unexpected twist too: the track closes with a guest appearance from Rick Astley, repeating "Don't joke about it," warning against exactly what Tom Ogden sings about, a genuinely funny, very Blossoms piece of self-aware humour.
"Husband" follows, built around sparkly synth at the top of the mix, with lyrics that nod to their influences — namechecking the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry" in its opening line. Meanwhile "Meet Me in Love," the record's starriest moment, arrives with softer vocals and a stronger beat and a Maya Jama-starring video that has generated plenty of column inches beyond the usual indie press, alongside a guest appearance from Declan McKenna on "Additional Driver".
Where It Wobbles
The record isn't flawless. Even sympathetic reviewers have suggested that a firmer hand on pacing and lyrical variety would have helped make a record that remains captivating into the latter half, while still praising the fact that a change in musical style can certainly be detected across the entire record, and it is done excellently.
It's a fair critique: Blossoms are so accomplished at the widescreen chorus that the more understated tracks can occasionally feel like comedowns rather than companions.
Verdict
Songs From The Wedding Cake won't convert anyone who's already decided Blossoms are lightweight, but for those already on board, it's another confident, hook-laden chapter from a band who've quietly become one of the most reliable pop-rock outfits Britain has produced this decade. Ten years in, they're still writing choruses built for arenas — and, evidently, for wedding receptions too.
Featured photo by Drew de F Fawkes / CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/