ON THE RISE
The collaborative project of Craig Lowe, better known as The C.o.o.l (Chase Opportunity or Lose) and Derion Scroggins, AKA Day Underscore, It's A Cool Day is the vessel by which two incredible musicians share their Chicago roots and a unique blend of R&B and Hip Hop with the world. Their most recent project, an EP titled You’re Welcome explores the duality of words, music and emotions layered over insightful lyrics and exciting beats.
It's A Cool Day is the brainchild of Greg "Olskool Ice-Gre" Lewis who envisioned Cool and Day as a duo (originally solo artists), and knew as a collective they'd be destined for great things. Now proudly repped by Honest Music, the duo is truly making magic.
You may have already heard the hit single “The Butterfly Effect” from It’s A Cool Day’s new EP. The song is very forward about its dual meaning, describing both the feeling of getting butterflies and hinting at the importance of the little things, a play on the song’s title.
Songs like “Bucket Seats” and “Resuscitation” showcase the duo’s versatility. While “Bucket Seats” defines the peak of excitement in a new romantic venture, “Resuscitation” is more laid back, taking you through the feeling of redemption after a fight or slip up in a relationship.
Another notable track on the project is “Dogeza” another play on terminology, with the title referring to a Japanese tradition of showing gratitude. “It’s a very confident, cocky song,” Day explained. “It’s kind of our way of telling our fans that they can be grateful for what we’re giving them with this album.” The song truly stands out as one with a forward message and the knowledge that these two are not to be messed with.
“Dogeza” is also the basis for the project’s title. “You’re Welcome, like a lot of this project has two meanings,” Cool explained. “One is the same as what ‘Dogeza’ is saying, and the other is more of a humble ‘welcome in’ kind of meaning.”
In its entirety, You’re Welcome is a little slice of Cool and Day’s lives and innermost thoughts. “The project talks about a lot of topics that we think are really important,” they said. “Everything from feeling like you're making all the right moves, to exploring how it feels to be a father, husband, Black man, in a modern world.” It's A Cool Day is the perfect venue for these two to express themselves while connecting with each other and a community of people with shared experiences.
Following the release of You’re Welcome on June 28, It’s A Cool Day is looking forward to sharing more visuals to go alongside the project. The duo is also excited about some of their other upcoming content and the release of their merch line, all things you can find updates about on their social media.
Make sure to stay tuned in to It’s A Cool Day as well as the individual works of Day Underscore and The C.o.o.l. on various platforms for new music, visuals and social posts.
Instagram
Twitter
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
Photo Credit to: Mike Quain Photo
ON THE RISE
Blossoms caught up with NME to discuss competing with The Beatles and Johnny Marr for this week’s Number One album. With ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ in the running, the band also explained why making things themselves remains such an important part of their work as AI becomes more common.
The Stockport group put out their sixth album last Friday, October 2. By the midweek update, it was sitting at Number Two, between The Beatles’ expanded edition of ‘Rubber Soul’ and Johnny Marr’s latest solo album, ‘The Age Of Everything’.
“It’s mad, to be honest,” singer Tom Ogden said to NME about the chart race. “Liverpool on one side, Manchester on the other and Stockport in the middle. If you’d told us this 10 years ago, when we were releasing our debut, I wouldn’t have believed you. But I mean, we’re in good company aren’t we?”
Discussing the stories behind the album, Ogden described ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ as “about being married and all the everyday stuff that comes with it”. He married Katie Donovan, the sister of Blossoms drummer Joe, in 2021. Married life has since given him a new appreciation for what he describes as “the extraordinary ordinary”.
“Saying the wrong thing in an argument, losing your wife’s no claims bonus, crying at the Kardashians, it’s all in there,” he explained. “The album is named after Stockport Town Hall, which everyone round where we live calls the Wedding Cake, and it’s where I got married, so it couldn’t be much closer to home.
“The last album [‘Gary’, 2024] had a song about a stolen fibreglass gorilla, which everyone loved, and that gave us the confidence to bring the same playfulness to this one, just with more personal subject matter this time.”
Alongside tracks that came out of writing sessions with Declan McKenna in a hot tub, the album reflects the band’s desire to stay involved in every part of the creative process.
“It started with the recording,” Ogden explained. “We made the album with Shawn Lee, playing live straight to tape, and once you’ve done it that way you can’t really go and fake everything else. We sat down as a band and picked the colour palette, and everything visual followed from that. We had body scans taken of ourselves and cake toppers of the five of us 3D printed, put them on a real cake and photographed it. I’ve directed and edited the videos, and the sets are all built by hand, no green screen. For the pop-up shop on launch weekend, a local artist hand-painted the album cover for the sign outside.
“It’s more work, but you end up with a world that’s yours, and I think people can tell when a band’s had its hands on everything.”
With AI tools and digital effects becoming increasingly widespread, that approach feels particularly relevant. For Blossoms, though, the motivation is simple: “the fun is in the making”.
“Tape doesn’t let you cheat and neither does a real cake,” Ogden said. “If a set’s a bit wonky, it’s because one of us or our mates built it. I think the more stuff gets generated, the more people want to know a human being actually did it. We’ve been in this band together for over 10 years, five lads from Stockport, and that isn’t something you can ‘prompt’.”
Maya Jama also appeared in the video for the album’s first single, ‘Meet Me In Love’. Her appearance came shortly before the UK launch of Celebrity Traitors, where she took on the role of a traitor alongside a cast that included Richard E Grant and James Acaster.
“She was brilliant,” Ogden recalled of working with Jama. “We’d met her at the MTV EMAs in Manchester a couple of years ago, so we took a chance and sent her a DM …and she said yes. Next thing she’s in a theatre in Cheadle miming my vocals while a load of people dressed as me serenade her. She got the idea straight away and was a proper laugh about it.”
The conversation then turned to whether he thought Jama could take home the win on Celebrity Traitors.
Ogden joked: “As for Traitors, she spent a whole day pretending to sing my song and I almost believed her, so I’d say she’s got every chance.”
Fans can listen to ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ now. In November, Blossoms head out on a UK arena tour with The Royston Club. Tickets and further details are available here.
Before the tour begins, the group is also scheduled to appear on SNL UK on Saturday, October 24.
