Blossoms – Gary [Vinyl LP Clear & Black Indie Exclusive]

Blossoms – Gary [Vinyl LP]

Details

• Format: Vinyl LP, Album, Limited Edition, Stereo
• Catalogue Number: ODDSK001LPIN
• Barcode: 198588182581
• Genre: Indie Rock / Indie Pop / Alternative Rock
• Label: Odd SK Recordings
• Released: 20 September 2024
• Vinyl Colour: Clear with Black Yolk
• Condition: New & Sealed

Description

Gary is the fifth studio album by Blossoms — Tom Ogden (vocals, guitar), Charlie Salt (bass), Josh Dewhurst (guitar), Joe Donovan (drums) and Myles Kellock (keyboards) — released on 20 September 2024 through Odd SK Recordings, the Stockport band's own independent label. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart in its first week — their fourth number one album — with 21,884 copies sold, of which 86% were physical formats, making it one of the most physically purchased chart-toppers of the year. It also debuted simultaneously at number one on the UK Vinyl Albums Chart and number one on the Record Store Chart, and was noted widely as a significant statement of confidence in the independent record retail sector.

The album takes its name from a real event: Gary was an eight-foot fibreglass gorilla statue stolen from Reynard Garden Centre in Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland in early 2023. The story had become a local cause célèbre — Gary's rear end was eventually recovered, but his front half remains missing — and Tom Ogden heard it on the radio and immediately wrote the title track. The album's accompanying music video for "Gary", directed by Ogden and his brother Ewan, features Rick Astley as the garden centre owner and Everton manager Sean Dyche in a reprise of his appearance in the previous Blossoms video, and the two are depicted in a chase after the band as they steal the gorilla. It is, by any measure, one of the more singular premise-to-album stories in British indie music.

The album was produced primarily by James Skelly of The Coral — Blossoms' long-term collaborator who helmed their debut and Foolish Loving Spaces — with Josh Lloyd-Watson of Jungle producing two tracks: "What Can I Say After I'm Sorry?" and "Nightclub", having previously worked with the band on those tracks during the Ribbon Around The Bomb period. CMAT — the BRIT-nominated Irish singer-songwriter — co-wrote two tracks with Tom Ogden: "I Like Your Look" and "Why Do I Give You the Worst of Me?", and also produced "I Like Your Look". The singles are characteristically strong: "What Can I Say After I'm Sorry?" (released ahead of the album) and "Perfect Me" demonstrate a band operating with complete confidence in melody and arrangement; the title track "Gary" is irresistible Blossoms at their most playful; and "I Like Your Look" has the off-kilter, breezy energy of the CMAT collaboration at its best.

This indie exclusive limited edition pressing on Odd SK Recordings is pressed on clear vinyl with a black yolk — a visually striking combination unique to this variant, available only through independent record retailers. Made in Germany.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Big Star
2. What Can I Say After I'm Sorry?
3. Gary
4. I Like Your Look
5. Nightclub

Side B

1. Perfect Me
2. Mothers
3. Cinnamon
4. Slow Down
5. Why Do I Give You the Worst of Me?

Credits

• Tom Ogden – Vocals, Guitar, Songwriting
• Charlie Salt – Bass
• Josh Dewhurst – Guitar
• Joe Donovan – Drums
• Myles Kellock – Keyboards
• James Skelly – Producer
• Josh Lloyd-Watson – Producer (What Can I Say After I'm Sorry?, Nightclub)
• CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) – Producer, Co-Writer (I Like Your Look, Why Do I Give You the Worst of Me?)
• Ewan Ogden – Photography
• Label – Odd SK Recordings