Singer Robin Wilson recently encountered a friend who had heard the new Gin Blossoms’ single, “Learning the Hard Way,” on the radio. At first, the friend was aghast. “I thought, ‘Who the hell has the audacity to sound this much like the Gin Blossoms?” he told Wilson.

Indeed, the Gin Blossoms’ inventive, instantly appealing smart pop has proven so influential that Wilson’s friend can be forgiven for initially thinking that the song might be by one of the band’s many imitators. He might also be forgiven for not realizing that after a difficult breakup, a stirring reunion and a few years of playing live shows together, the Gin Blossoms had completed Major Lodge Victory, a new album in stores August 8, that is both long-awaited and well worth the wait. Accept no substitutes: the Gin Blossoms are back.

First single "Learning the Hard Way" is an effortless triumph of melodic perfection, organic production and collaboration that sounds familial in its ease.
- Billboard review.

If you miss the sweet, simple pleasures of early-'90s guitar-pop the non-grungy variety, that is this collection of honeyed rockers from the reunited Blossoms is just the ticket to ride.
- by Elysa Gardner of USA Today

Devotees of jangly pop-rock might enjoy the long overdue reunion by the Gin Blossoms, "Major Lodge Victory" (Hybrid Recordings, B-).
- by Jonathan Takiff of the Philadelphia Daily News

Hardly a half-hearted cash-in, this comeback LP marks a solid addendum to the Gin Blossoms' multiplatinum peak output. '
Grade: B
- Reviewed by Ryan Dombal of Entertainment Weekly