Ribbon Around The Bomb

★ Deluxe double CD edition features a bonus disc - 'Live At Sefton Park'

Ribbon Around The Bomb is the first new music from Blossoms since their ‘vibrant single’ (NME) Care For, which was released in 2021. Care For gained great support from radio, with the track being playlisted and made the ‘Hottest Record’ by Radio 1, as well as getting on the B-List with Radio 2. The track was also added to key streaming playlists, including Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday’, ‘All New All Now’ and ‘The Indie List’.

Speaking about the new album and single, Blossoms’ Tom Ogden says:

‘While on tour in 2019 in Mexico, I visited Frida Kahlo’s house. Looking at her paintings on show, someone had described one of them as being like a ‘ribbon around a bomb’. I immediately thought that it was a great title for a song and album because of the imagery that it evoked in my mind. I thought about how lots of things in life could be described as being a ribbon around a bomb in the sense that as people we often dress things up which have a darkness lying beneath them’.

The band’s new album is produced by their consistent and renowned collaborators James Skelly and Rich Turvey and revolves around a central character ‘The Writer’. Tom Ogden explains:

‘The more songs I wrote, the more I realised that the writer referenced in the songs was in fact me. Having been so busy for the past eight years I and the band have never really had the chance to step back and reflect on what we’ve achieved. You’re so focused on the future; write the next album then tour. Your life is usually mapped out at least two years in advance’.

Standout tracks on the record include Ode To NYC, described by Tom as ‘a love letter to my favourite city, as well as my wife’, The Writer which deals with the fear of and frustration associated with writers block and Everything About You, one of the album’s only love songs, which Tom says is ‘as honest as they come’. Visions meanwhile contains one of the album’s key lyrics ‘Was I complete at 23’, as Tom explains. ’At 23 I had just had a number 1 album and begun my relationship with my now wife Katie. Reflecting on what I’d achieved at such a young age left me wondering, what now?’

Blossoms are playing a series of live shows in the UK this summer, including headline appearances at Y Not? and Truck Festival, as well as a run of support dates with The Killers. Full details on Blossoms live dates in 2022 are here.

Since forming in 2013, Blossoms have enjoyed widespread success and acclaim. Their 2016 debut Blossoms topped the album charts for two consecutive weeks and went on to earn the band BRIT Award and Mercury Prize nominations, while 2018’s Cool Like You charted at Number 4 in the UK album chart, spawning the anthemic singles I Can’t Stand It, There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) and How Long Will This Last? Their third studio album, 2020’s Foolish Loving Spaces was the band’s second UK Number 1 album and following the release of In Isolation/Live From The Plaza Theatre, Stockport in 2020, the band have now had four top 5 albums in the UK.

Released: May 2022
Cat: RT0308
Label: Rough Trade

Listen

Tracklist

1. The Writer’s Theme
2. Ode To NYC
3. Ribbon Around The Bomb
4. The Sulking Poet
5. Born Wild
6. The Writer
7. Everything About You
8. Care For
9. Cinerama Holy Days
10. Edith Machinist
11. Visions
12. The Last Chapter