Tkay Maidza – Nights In December
With / 65M+ streams across her last two EPs, Tkay Maidza drops festive single ‘Nights in December’ to ring out 2022. She wanted “to make a song that captures the feeling of a new relationship but using wintertime in New York as the inspiration. I had a trip where I spent a winter in New York, and it was really beautiful so I almost wanted to recreate that feeling in a song”. An Australian tour with Dua Lipa follows dates with Billie Eilish earlier this year, and 2023 brings an ambitious new album.
The Linda Lindas – Groovy Xmas
Beloved Los Angeles punk band The Linda Lindas release a video for their new holiday single “Groovy Xmas.”Of the song, The Linda Lindas say “There are so many cool Christmas songs that we love to dance to, and a lot of them are by our favorite punk bands: Alice Bag, Red Kross, Shonen Knife… We were inspired by them to write our own carol that you can add to your jolly playlist and enjoy at holiday gatherings! Please sing along and share: and we hope you have a very Groovy Xmas and an awesome new year!”
Future Islands – Last Christmas – 4AD
Future Islands have done the unthinkable and covered festive staple ‘Last Christmas’, originally by Wham. What’s more, they’ve smashed it out the park – Sam Herring’s distinctive voice taking the hit to a new level yet remaining true to the charm and melody that has made it a global favourite. As ever, the band capture all the emotional weight of the track, whilst still demonstrating their playful side. Not a lot of bands could pull this off, but Future Islands aren’t like a lot of bands.
Spoon – Christmas Time (Is Here Again) – Matador
Rock icons Spoon take on the beloved Beatles rarity “Christmas Time (Is Here Again).” With multi-layered group harmonies stacked upon gritty guitars, parlor piano and off-the-cuff studio banter, Spoon capture the jovial spirit of the 50 year old original while transforming this little-known Beatles obscurity into a modern Holiday classic. The cover follows the extensive global campaign of the band’s “best ever” (Rolling Stone) new album ‘Lucifer on the Sofa.’
Charlie Hickey – A Long December (Counting Crows Cover)
“I grew up with Counting Crows and a lot of other music of that sort that a lifetime later, I realize has made its way into my own music and was more formative for me than I could’ve anticipated at the time. That’s why I thought this was the perfect opportunity to pay homage to a real classic and just a beautiful song that happens to perfectly get at that end of the year reflective melancholia.” – Charlie Hickey
Christian Lee Hutson – Silent Night
Known for his witty lyricism and development of characters, it only feels natural that Christian Lee Hutson would not only cover a classic Christmas song but adjust its point of view to that of one of his typically down on their luck protagonists. Today he is sharing a forlorn version of “Silent Night” following a narrator that is lonely during the holidays. The opening lines begin: “Silent night / Over the Rhine / Standing in the checkout line / Weather report on the radio / 65 percent chance of snow / I wanna call but I don’t / I wanna call but I don’t.” Listen to it below.
Phoebe Bridges – So Much Wine
Pitch: Phoebe Bridgers has released a cover of The Handsome Family’s “So Much Wine” – an addition to her Christmas song catalog. Proceeds from the track will be going to the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which is one of the few federally qualified health centers with providers who specialize in substance abuse treatment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and people living with HIV. The Center is also the world’s largest LGBT nonprofit, assisting tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people each month with vital and life-saving services, including youth and senior housing, legal assistance, and affirming, life-saving healthcare.
The track, produced by Bridgers along with longtime collaborators Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska, features Marshall Vore, Harrison Whitford, Sebastian Steinberg, Paul Mescal – as well as vocals, violin and whistling by Andrew Bird.
Also popping back in here the 2021 Xmas release from the wonderful Holly Arrowsmith:
You can check out even more on our Spotify playlist over HERE
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