Month: October 2025

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Patience “Fire Baby” (2017)

Intro screen, black screen with Patience written across it in handwritten font.

The Glasgow School of Art
Buy: Video (free!) | Soundcloud (stream)

I do love some synth pop Christmas music. I also love the band Veronica Falls (I miss them!). Smash those two loves together, and you get Patience’s “Fire Baby,” the soundtrack to The Glasgow School of Art’s 2017 holiday video. Patience (aka Roxanne Clifford from Veronica Falls – duh!) does not appear to have released this song in any other fashion than as this music video (Edit – also on Soundcloud). Thankfully, the video is downloadable, and you could strip out the music rather easily should you be so inclined. Give it a listen!

Bottom Line: Some Christmas synths to warm your ears to.

LISTEN/WATCH

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Alela Diane & The Hackles – It’s Always Christmas Somewhere (2023)

Rusted Blue Records
Buy: Bandcamp | CD/Vinyl

I know I write about a lot of grubby little songs. I love grubby little songs. I love weirdo Christmas—it nearly became the title of this entire site. However, every so often you come across a Christmas record that’s just good. I’m talking about the kind of record you might put on while opening presents with Grandma and Grandpa.

Alela Diane & The Hackles’ It’s Always Christmas Somewhere is exactly that kind of record. The album is filled with expected classics (“Christmas Time Is Here,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” etc.), some lesser-known covers (“One Little Christmas Tree,” “Pretty Snowflakes”), and a solid original (“The Santa’s Gospel”).

However, I’m here specifically to talk about her cover of Joni Mitchell’s classic “River.” If there’s a standout on an already lovely record, this is most certainly it. The gorgeous woodwind lines, the contemplative guitar, the delicate harmonium—each contributes small melodic variations that sneak up and make you smile. Perhaps my favorite cover of this song ever—it might be yours too.

Bottom Line: What a lovely Christmas record. Recommended for the alternativo folks, as well as for those who just love classic, non-cheesy Christmas records.

LISTEN

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Boston Cream “Satan is on the Way” (2016)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

When a song begins with jingle bells, and is released on Christmas Eve… that shit is a Christmas song. So file “Satan is on the Way” in your Christmas folder, folks. I don’t make the rules (I do), I only follow them (I don’t). Boston Cream hasn’t dug deep with these lyrics, “Oh! / Satan is on the way! / Ooo, / It’s hot,” but what they lack in eloquence, they make up for in ROCK. Turn it up, shout the lyrics, and screw with your friends when this comes on as the leadoff to your weirdo Christmas mix. \m/

Bottom Line: Just a little Christmas fun with Satan Santa Satan.

LISTEN

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Pentire “Good Luck It’s Christmas” (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Stream on Soundcloud

Pentire are a bunch of guys from a small town (Herefordshire, England) who “make pop songs for the post-jangle generation through the smiles and sweat of the mosh pit.” A fun turn of phrase indeed, which makes my next sentence sound bland as hell. Here’s a nice slice of indie pop/rock that, inexplicably, I can only find on Soundcloud. Enjoy my nearly flavorless introduction and press play. You’re likely to enjoy this one.

EDIT: Well I’ll be… it is a cover and I hadn’t realized it. This is a cover of Tellison, which can be found on their Bandcamp. And… I did have that song already and just plum forgot. Thanks Randy!

I swear I’ll get my Christmas music mojo flowing soon.

Bottom Line: Pentire are indeed Christmas music fans – keep an eye on them. They are who I discovered Devon from…

LISTEN

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Alex Maas “X MAAS (Take Me Away)” (2023)

Innovative Leisure
Buy: Bandcamp

Just as he was finishing up some work with his band The Black Angels, lead vocalist Alex Maas released a very interesting, downtempo holiday song, “X MAAS (Take Me Away).” I’ve been listening to it for a little while now, and I’m quite intrigued by the vibe of the song – his voice, the chiming melody, the lyrics that seesaw between fleeing and love. These elements mix and create a complex, disorienting, yet somehow soothing vibe. It sounds like Alex achieved his goal: “I’ve never written a Christmas song. Christmas has a very dark side that not many people take into account. The holidays are as painful as they are beautiful for most people. This song is for people who fall in love during Christmas and for those who want to escape completely from the holiday.”

Bottom Line: There’s something here. Not quite sure yet… but I’m listening…

LISTEN

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Devon “Staying Home…” (2021)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

It’s quickly coming up on November — that time when we all start to expect new songs to drop. There have been a few here and there, sneaking onto records (like the excellent Sister Ray track), but these October days are often full of old songs newly discovered. So, let’s flash back to 2021 — which feels like both yesterday and forever ago.

Devon hails from Gloucestershire, England, and back in 2021 he dropped a very COVID-era Christmas single, “Staying Home…” While you can certainly feel those days coming through in this song, the roots haven’t quite anchored it in time, never to leave. This is a song about mental health, compassion, and all those feelings of love and loss that get mixed up and spun around at Christmas.

This isn’t just a COVID Christmas song. Multiple listens, folks — it’s a grower.

Bottom Line: It’s sad, happy, thoughtful, loving, quiet, loud… and worth your time.

LISTEN

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J. “Christmas” Phillips – Spring Into J. “Christmas” Phillips (2024)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

I may have tipped my hand in the last post… something about cocaine (Edit: The more I think about it… it must be heroin, not cocaine being referenced in the song I’m about to talk about) and New Zealand if you recall. This blog is, of course, a serial that requires you to read every other post to get the context of what is going on. So get to work, new readers… you’ve got a few years to catch up on before we really get going in December.

A member of the Christchurch, New Zealand electropop band Mount Pleasant, J. “Christmas” Phillips dropped this solo record last November, Spring into J. “Christmas” Phillips, which continues a massive back catalogue of Christmas-related releases under both the Mount Pleasant moniker, as well as via the duo of J. “Christmas” Phillips and Tobias “Santa” Brockie. There is a LOT to sample here… I’m counting over 10 obviously-Christmas releases. How the heck did these guys fly under my radar for so long??

Readers of this blog will know that I’m going to pick out a few tracks to talk about, rather than the entire record, as I am terrified of setting such a precedent. So let’s begin with the track I’ve been teasing, “Snorting a Line.” I love discovering songs so unexpected that you inadvertently pull a face- WTF is this thing going to be? Well, obviously, an alt-country via indiepop Christmas song about getting high with your love on Christmas! Can’t say I partake, but lines like “I can’t believe I have your love. / Hold me close, hold me tight! / Like it’s our last Christmas tonight!” are both incredibly sweet and low-key dark… making it a truly intriguing song. “Snorting a Line” proved to be the hook that pulled me into the rest of the record, so grab my hand and let’s jump in further.

“Christmas with Chloe” is crooning electro-pop that feels equally genuine and glossy, two unexpected flavors bound to tease your tastebuds. J. “Christmas” Phillips has a swagger in his delivery that pairs perfectly with his imperfections – he sounds both incredibly personal, yet affected at the same time. I can’t pin this song down… but it sure does explode with love, and I’m happy to wrap myself in the shrapnel.

Finally, let’s talk about the WONDERFULLY-titled final track, “Christmas Artist of His Generation.” This is an indiepop/electro-pop instrumental that blends these (post-punk?) guitar lines with electro-pop synths. What a fucking combination. I’ll have a second helping.

I am only one album into J. “Christmas” Phillips’ holiday back catalogue. Let’s GOOOOOO.

Bottom Line: This artist/band is totally something I’ll bet a reader sent me years ago. To this person who no doubt exists, I apologize. How the hell did J. “Christmas” Phillips elude me for so long?? WELL. That ends today!

LISTEN

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Remy Bond “Christmas in Kokomo” (2024)

Self Released?
Buy: Stream (so far)

Half the fun—and the struggle—of having a hobby and a website like this silly one is the search. I love and hate it equally. Still, the rush of finding a great song is real—you know the feeling. I hate to admit I can often judge a book by its cover, but… years of experience suggest I usually can. So when someone defies my inner bias, well, I find that delightful.

Which brings me to New York–based singer-songwriter Remy Bond, whose image is a mix of Sabrina Carpenter and Paris Hilton, sent back in time with Lana Del Rey to hang out with the Ronettes. Remy’s been a child actress and a child reality TV chef (no joke), but over the past few years, she’s been steadily working in the NYC music scene—eventually signing with Warner Records in February of this year.

So far, that bio and the major-label connection don’t exactly scream Christmas Underground material, do they? Well, screw that—I don’t have enough readers to maintain an image anyway!

Remy dropped a Spectoresque Christmas single last December, “Christmas in Kokomo,” that’s damn enjoyable—though complicated by the fact that it’s impossible to buy and hard to stream. Spotify? Nope. Apple Music? Nope. YouTube? Yes. SoundCloud? Yup. Super weird that this genuinely great single is, by all accounts, “unreleased,” though I suspect it’s primed to resurface this holiday season with a major label behind it.

Look at me! Covering the big leagues! We all know I’ll be back to writing about weird cocaine Christmases from New Zealand tomorrow….

Bottom Line: I’m pretty down with this retro futurism.

LISTEN

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Sister Ray “Christmas” (2025)

cover of Sister Ray's believer album, which is a blurry image of the singer on a green background.

Royal Mountain Records
Buy: Bandcamp | Apple Music

Canada man. I feel each year, one country runs up the score, and this year has me looking north. I keep tabs on Sister Ray, as I own her 2022 album, Communion, a beautiful and vivid breakup record with a fleeting mention of a Christmas tree on “Visions” (for you Christmas mixers with VERY lax rules).” Earlier this year, the musical project of Toronto’s Ella Coyes released a great new record, Believer. I absolutely add it to the listen pile, but when I see a track called “Christmas” on her new album, my ears are hers. I love her voice, and the orchestration with the droning bassoon baseline (that has to be a bassoon, either real or synthesized, right?). However, these lyrics are the star. Some lines made me smile, though the kind of smile I wasn’t quite sure of – a sort of feeling that the line might just be more cutting than you realize. There is a moment in every verse that both feels so loving and sorrowful at the same time, that I find myself spinning. I’ve been trying to sit with this song, figure it out on a deeper level before I write about it… but I got antsy. Maybe you all can help.

Snow’s light
For a cynic you sure love Christmas time.
I think I might believe in Jesus Christ
At least til things cool down
Carrying a New Testament around
Like a knife
Like a fence in the foreground
Protecting my house

I played that song just to hear you sing along
I love your voice
The way it sounds with mine
I keep your ribbons hanging from my ceiling
I would celebrate anything
Come into my house

In another life
I’m dressed in white
I’ve been your wife
What a beautiful child, what a beautiful sound
Your eyes, my mouth
Coming in from our house
Coming in from our house

Bottom Line: This is the kind of song that keeps you coming back.

LISTEN

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Al Nicol & Evelyne Brochu “On Christmas” (2024)

a painting of a snowy scene in the mountains

Self Released
Buy: 7Digital (FLAC/MP3) | Apple Music

Last year, Nashville-based Canadian singer/songwriter Al Nicol and fellow north-of-the-borderer, actress and singer Evelyne Brochu teamed up on “On Christmas,” a great slide guitar and brass-laced Christmas tune. Happily, I came upon this song because Al Nicol recently released a track with Hiss Golden Messenger on it – and this time of year, I click through on EVERYBODY. So here I am, standing in the kitchen, poking at my phone and listening to his excellent new single, “Only Hoping,” and my eyes widen. This song is likely to be good… and it was. A short love song, with church and too much wine. The orchestration is beautiful, the lyrics are original, and clocks in at about 2:30. Bullseye.

Bottom Line: Christmas 2024, and Al and Evelyne are singing a wonderful Christmas love song. Christmas 2025, and I hope I didn’t just send ICE to a young Canadian songwriter’s home.

LISTEN