There’s been a refreshing influx of musical creativity gushing over the decaying dam of pandemic these past few months, and a huge burst of work, effort, thought, and hope has flowed through. We have been proper drenched to the bone, and I don’t know about you, but it’s been just what I fu*king needed.

These past few months I’ve been intently watching the swirls, the waves and the peaks within the current, and I can definitely hear it, feel it, when “the song” arrives; y’know, the game changer. It’s arrived with Manchester based Garden Party and their massive March 2022 released Rose Tinted.

What has caught my ear from the start of Garden Party is not that they produce revolutionary sound, it’s more that what they do is top notch. There’s something of the grand ambition for the full sound of the likes of Doves, The Verve and Elbow in this track, but Garden Party deftly avoid the overblown pitfalls of that particular style. This is perhaps the band’s Arctic Monkey’s Baby I’m Yours moment.

Here, Rose Tinted offers a state of slow start, wild anticipation, a delicious build up and a glorious plateau of sweet chorus. Musical orgasm, dear reader, sweet musical orgasm.

Vocalist Liam has explained that Rose Tinted was one of the first completed songs he wrote that he thought really had something about it. Written four years ago, at the tender age of 17, it reflects that perhaps you might be thinking the past was better, when in fact you are just thinking it was because the now isn’t great, and we always tend to look fondly upon the past. Wise reflections for a 17 year old. Of course, in the now, Liam and the band have no doubt brought their experience to bear, and they have the guns, and Abbey Road mixing to make the tune as huge as it is.

Garden Party have some exciting gigs lined up. Just ask our PM, he knows there’s no party like a Garden Party, so look at the band’s socials to see details for gigs in London, Stockton and Leicester, and what is going to be a mad night at Manchester’s legendary Deaf Institute on June 11th.

Chris R

* images taken from the band’s social media