Amidst the coronavirus induced uncertainty, many artists are helping to make this stressful period more bearable for people through music. Stockport based band, Blossoms, are doing exactly that for their fans. The five-piece have been offering us a welcomed portion of indie-pop brilliance with a number of refreshing covers and lockdown renditions. Their ‘Blossoms In Isolation’ album that will be available later in the year on CD and vinyl.
Naturally, due to the lockdown restrictions, all of the accompanying ‘In Isolation’ sessions are from each band members own homes. This provides a stripped back and personal vibe. This also means we get to catch a glimpse of lead singer Tom Ogden’s cute dog (which is always a bonus) while observing the band members’ hilarious quirks and personalities shining through.
The ‘In Isolation’ tracks began with a cover of Frank Ocean’s ‘Lost’. ‘Lost’ is thoroughly entertaining, not least because of drummer Joe Donovan’s innovative use of scissors and a crate of beer to create the desired percussion effects. On Instagram, the band stated that ‘Lost’ is one of their favourite songs, and they certainly did it justice with their funky pop vibe and easy energy.
Blossoms also gave some of their own tracks the ‘Isolation treatment’ and next recorded ‘My Swimming Brain’ from their recent album Foolish Loving Spaces. The track boasts skilful backing vocals and provides an enjoyable, melodious, easy-listening experience.
Another of their songs that was recorded was their much loved ‘There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)’. The band manage to capture the original tracks smooth, electro vibe with distinct vocals and relaxed-but-catchy melody. Again, Joe Donovan is very amusing with his fitting antibacterial spray and hand gel. This time ingeniously whipping out a cardboard box, alarm clock, pennies and cutlery amongst other household objects to use as questionable percussion tools.
The quintet also covered ‘Paperback Writer’ by the Beatles, which they state is one of their favourite Beatles tunes. The band pull off this cover amazingly, with a fresh and cheerful feel and impressive harmonies throughout.
Blossoms’ teamed up with James Skelly from The Coral for a delightful rendition of ‘Dreaming of You’. This track is infectiously likeable, and is a good mood booster with its memorable guitar riffs and laid-back energy.
Miles Kane joins Blossoms for a cover of Tame Impala’s The Less I Know The Better. This smooth cover shows band members continuing to provide us with first-rate performances. The rendition of this song holds the chilled and groovy mood of the original track, but adds its own expressive spin with Tom and Miles sharing lead vocals.
The band produce these high-quality covers and accompanying videos effortlessly. Something which Blossoms have captured perfectly throughout these Isolation sessions is the pure fun which transfers to the listener. Blossoms deliver a cheerful essence of a band not taking themselves too seriously.
Blossoms have added an extra layer of excitement and creativity to their ‘In Isolation’ covers. They also state that they are working on some more renditions which are yet to be released. They have certainly done a good job at breaking up the every day boredoms of life in isolation.
Words by Sarah Turner.