Tag: 2021

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High Tropics “All I Need This Christmas” (2023) and “Lonely Christmas” (2021)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

I have a tough time writing about songs you can’t actually go out and buy. A big part of why this site exists is not only to spread the best Christmas music I can find, but also to point you toward the best place to pay money for the hard work of these talented musicians. Art is work, and work deserves compensation. It really is that simple.

Because of that, I’ve been meaning to write about these two fantastic songs by Australia’s High Tropics for a while, but there’s never really been a place for you to purchase them—until today. I shot the band a note last night and, voilà: Bandcamp. So here we go.

I discovered High Tropics via the excellent Von Pip Musical Express podcast back in 2023 and was immediately smitten. Before diving into the songs, though, I have to address the elephant in the room: yes, these are the best Christmas songs the Strokes could ever wish to write. The similarity is undeniable, but that only serves to highlight the Strokes’ complete lack of original Christmas songs—and High Tropics’ absolute slam dunk in delivering two original seasonal gems.

2023’s “All I Need This Christmas” made my mix last year, thanks to its relaxed, synthy stroll through the well-worn “all I need for Christmas is you” territory. The lyrics are simple, essentially repeating the same verse twice, but even within that limited space, the song finds a way to feel fresh and new. Take the opening stanza:

Everybody’s talking ’bout a brand new year
I’m still playing catch-up with the last one, baby
I don’t wanna tell you how it ought to be
I’m just tryna make it to tomorrow lately

There’s something so laid-back and assured about this song—a calm, effortless cool that’s hard to deny. As the song puts it near the end, “I know I could win you over,” and it absolutely has.

“Lonely Christmas” first appeared on SoundCloud back in 2021, along with a demo version, and it’s only a matter of time before one of those makes its way onto one of my mixes. The lo-fi vocals, the sticky chorus, and—once again—that feeling of effortless cool the Strokes helped reintroduce to rock music in 2001 all come together beautifully here. High Tropics have kept that flame alive and turned it into something genuinely special.

The two songs feel like siblings, sharing a similar structure of repeated verses and a catchy chorus. Somehow, High Tropics manage to make yet another classic Christmas trope feel anything but stale.

Bottom Line: I can’t think of an A/AA single that would be quite as good as these two.

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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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World News “Xmas 101” (2021)

Austerity Records
Buy: Bandcamp | Crazy Limited Cassette

As I furiously try to listen to all that I can, grabbing large compilations for further listening, wishlisting all the singles that I need to come back to… every so often I hit play and gotta pop over here for a quick, dirty, and low-quality review of a great song. You know… feed those content gods.

Stereogum hipped me to this new track from London’s World News, “Xmas 101,” which if you reallllly want to get technical, was released in 2021. It is quite a fun, upbeat song that I’ve found benefits from multiple listens. World News has a flavor of jangle/college radio sound that I would RIYL if you’ve been a fan of Voxtrot, REM, or as The Line of Best Fit aptly tagged, Big Country. So if that is your jam, jam away! I’ll be jamming with you!

Bottom Line: Good times for all!

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Everett Darling “Pictures 1-3” (2021)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

There will be those days that I throw big ol’ softballs – songs that I’ve already, in one way or another, expressed my love for previously. In this case, Everett Darling’s “Pictures 1-3” was featured on last year’s mix, but never featured on this site. Today, we remedy that. Everett Darling was the primary songwriter and singer of the excellent German indiepop band Skiing, who have featured prominently on this blog in the past. There are two tracks on his first solo record, Winter, that could be considered Christmas-adjacent. “Pictures 1-3” is obviously one, as well as the instrumental, “Tinsel,” but I’ll leave that to you to hunt down. “Pictures 1-3” is a beautiful song about Everett’s father and the Christmas tree he bought in his last year of life. He cycles through 3 photos of him, describing each one, with the Christmas tree remaining in the background… stuck on demo mode and cycling through its programmed display settings. The song’s stripped-down, 2 guitars and vocals approach, conveys a warmth that I am struggling to describe… Truly touching, absolutely gorgeous, and highly recommended.

Bottom Line: I learned my lesson in 2021 when I originally missed this release… check in with Everett every year just in case… he is just so damn talented.

LISTEN

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Ella Ion “Christmas” (2021)

Terrazzo Recordings
Buy: Bandcamp

Adelaide, Australia’s Ella Ion delighted us last year with her contributions to the wonderful Bjéar Christmas records, and I very much meant to make a big scene regarding her excellent 2021 single, “Christmas.” However, I got distracted, as I often do. The song deserved to be discovered back in 2021, as it taps expertly into the isolation of Covid lockdown. Ella provides an excellent, descriptive paragraph on her Bandcamp explaining “Christmas”:

“Christmas” renders a common release that overrides the sense of nothingness brought on by isolation over the past two years. The track explores the emotional tension surrounding the time of year when we are forced to spend time with those who raised us while looking back on our growth (or lack thereof) from the year behind us. The song taps into realisations about our childish tendencies and how we might put expectations on those we love before we fulfil the expectations of ourselves.

The subject matter can feel a weeeee bit brutal (as I ponder the line, “If your friend hadn’t died, I would’ve probably made you feel like you did”), but I’ve been known to groove on a dirge or two. Ella’s voice and LOS LEO & Bjéar’s production are so good that you might just find yourself swaying and singing along… which might garner you a hug or two from your more empathetic friends for sure. Here’s hoping that Ella and Bjéar cook up something new for us again, as our warm-weather friends are just killing it down there.

Bottom Line: This is a gorgeous, brutally honest song for a season that often rewards the superficial. So… how do you take your holiday music? Real, or with lots of sugar?

LISTEN

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Toad Venom – The Ingen vidare jul (Christmas is cancelled) EP (2021)

Welfare Sounds & Records
Buy: Bandcamp

If I had a nickel for every time I said, “You name your band Toad Venom, and I’m going to check you out.” Well, a bunch of psych rock musicians from Vikingstad, Sweden finally took me up on this well-known offer, and have also made some absolutely excellent psych Christmas music! 2021’s The Ingen vidare jul (Christmas is cancelled) EP is two tracks of badass psych, as the leadoff track “God Jul” blasts off, a soaring Swedish Christmas anthem (to which I have no clue what is being said). The flip, “Merry (Christmas) and me,” is in English, and very much suits their style as described on Bandcamp: “A band, experimenting the void between spaghetti western and psychedelic rock.” Those twangy western guitars that introduce the track – so terribly cool. The song builds and builds, at times triggering me to think a bit about Spiritualized for some reason. There are so many cool movements to this song, yet it still comes in at an economical 4:00. Perhaps one of the most badass Christmas tunes I’ve come across in a good while.

Bottom Line: Two extremely good tracks from my new favorite band and best friends (pending).

LISTEN

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Bird Friend “Christmas Song​” (2021/2022)

Sedan Is Real
Buy: Bandcamp (NYOP)

From the cold reaches of Portsmouth, New Hampshire comes Bird Friend, compiling their two seasonal singles onto one handy cassette/digital release. The Christmas song, appropriately titled “Christmas Song,” was initially released on their 2021 EP, Songs About Crime, and is a warm story-song of love without much money, a reality that a lot of us can relate to at some point in our lives… maybe even today. Love can find you at any moment in your life, whether you have enough money for wine or not – and thankfully they don’t get caught shoplifting:

when we went on christmas eve
to the convenience store
i was a bum and you were venus
in the front seat of your honda accord

heads or tails would determine who would go
steal us a bottle of booze
you slipped that bottle of wine into your purse
like it was what you were born to do

and i knew
i had to have you

Bottom Line: Short, sweet, and with that bit of vice that can spice up any holiday song, this hard-scrabble love story is quite worth your time.

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Brittany Ann Tranbaugh “The Christmas Flannel Song” (2021/2022)

Self Released
Buy: Bandcamp

I often say that if you can record a fantastic Christmas song, then your “regular” songs are likely going to be amazing. Writing an interesting Christmas song – with all of their seductive cliches – requires a fresh prospective that eludes even the best of bands. So when I find an artist whose Christmas song catches my ear, I smash that follow button. Philadelphia’s Brittany Ann Tranbaugh is the latest to score a follow, and is one more artist to watch in what is becoming an absolutely incredible queer folk/country scene. Over the past few years, that scene has become by far the most interesting collective within the genre. Folks writing from a different point-of-view than we’ve all be programmed to expect… that sounds fucking fantastic to me. Brittany Ann began working on her new Christmas song, “Christmas Flannel Song,” back in 2021 (well, at least she released her demo then), and in that simple vocal and guitar arrangement, you really get to appreciate the quality of her voice.

The lyrics tell the story of a Christmas present never given, and while the song is certainly one rooted in certain sadness, there is a cleverness to the her wordplay that shimmers with silver linings.

I’m holding onto this one thing
You won’t find it under your tree
It’s the shirt that I got you for Christmas
Cuz it looks pretty good on me
Fa la la la la la la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la

Guess it’s more like a dirge than a carol
That I sing while the fireplace burns
And I’m donning my new gay apparel
Cuz it’s final sale no returns

This season, Brittany Ann has fleshed out the production, as the song has reached a spectacular final form adding percussion, banjo, piano, bass and perfect vocal harmonies to give the song a welcome warmth. This song alone is most certainly worth a follow, a purchase, and a place on your mix.

Bottom Line: I don’t shy away from a dirge, especially when it is this good.

LISTEN

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Bad Bad Hats “Sally Sweet Tooth” (2021)

Don Giovanni
Buy: Bandcamp

I am finally getting through all the stuff I meant to listen to last year. If you are someone who feels as though a shitload of browser tabs is a personal failing, let me introduce you to the largest failure I know… Me. Thankfully, every so often you find something that makes saving that session worth it. Minneapolis’ Bad Bad Hats has been producing a song a month on their Patreon since at least October of 2020, and what do you know… December 2020’s theme was Christmas! Let’s let them tell you a bit more:

“I was listening to all the holiday classics to get inspired and I was struck by how many great characters there are in the Christmas canon: Rudolph, Frosty, a run-over Grandma. So I wanted to add a new character to the mix. She’s a little sweet, she’s a little sassy. She’s Sally Sweet Tooth. And you’d be wise to give her your cookies.”

The song was deemed worthy to bust out of the Patreon $5 tier jail to the wider world last December, in all its early-2000s alternative/power-pop goodness. So rejoice, and remember not to be stingy with your cookies… she’ll get ya.

Bottom Line: An extremely delicious jam to spread all over your Christmas mix.

LISTEN

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Katy Kirby “So Much Wine, Merry Christmas” (2021/2022)

Keeled Scales
Buy: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3 | Amazon.de MP3 | Amazon.fr MP3

The Handsome Family’s “So Much Wine, Merry Christmas” has slowly become an underground classic, being covered by the likes of Andrew Bird and The Minus 5’s Scott McCaughey, amongst many, many others. Each new year brings new voices to this beautiful, yet dark song, and 2021 welcomed the wonderful Katy Kirby to the growing chorus. A solo, acoustic version of “So Much Wine, Merry Christmas” debuted at Radio Milwaukee late last year, while a fully-produced version found its way onto the extended edition of her wonderful 2021 release, Cool Dry Place. Katy’s cover is technically based on the Andrew Bird arrangement, which I have already heaped some praise upon, but I am finding myself even more taken by Katy’s approach. Her soulful voice nestled amongst warm piano lines will leave you wishing for a crackling fire to stare at… perhaps some (spiked) eggnog as well. Indeed, this is a thing of beauty.

Bottom Line: Katy Kirby enters the top tier of “Too Much Wine” covers, and most certainly muscles her way on to many a discerning Christmas mixtape.

LISTEN