‘Looking as BIG as before’

While in cafe with work collegue I took my fleece off to reveal a ‘tighter’ training T-Shirt and he commented on me looking as big as before with the same size arms as September (compound lifts do not work the arms directly) and shoulders were as big as September but rear shoulders look much fuller. The whole of my back was also larger than before.

Could this be due to squats, bent over parallel rows and deadlifts considering I have never experienced this type of growth and size before?