What if the Killers hadn’t grown beards after Hot Fuss, and had instead set about writing 11 new versions of Mr Brightside? Mancunian pop-rockers Blossoms’ second album is your answer. The quasi-indie quintet may harbour none of the euphoric spite and savagery of countrymen Oasis and the Stone Roses, and rarely summon New Order’s wistful truculence, but their occasionally derivative songs come bolstered with as many hooks as a Peter Pan audition.
Lead singer-songwriter Tom Ogden’s decision to write with synths instead of guitars delivers a set that’s sleeker and stronger than their promising 2016 debut, if sadly sheared of the squalling solos and spacey psych that gussied up old tunes such as Honey Sweet and Smashed Pianos. Similar to long-forgotten second-stage acts the Mock Turtles or the Railway Children, Ogden’s band rarely feel like lasting stars. Yet with his dependable ability to spin candyfloss melodies around new-wave grooves, he might still stellify Blossoms with a Brightside of their own. Until then, Cool Like You is as good as today’s British pop rock gets. How you feel about that will be entirely dependent on your age.
