The Silver Biplanes Christmas single - Christmas in an outer space winter

Silver Biplanes
Christmastime In Outer Space / Winter
(Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, Snowflake 38, The Netherlands, 2025)

While in the process of promoting the 2024 edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, I received a Facebook-message from Tim Vass. He wrote me that his band Silver Biplanes recorded a cover of 'Silver Bells' sometime ago and he had an idea about a new Christmas song, about spending Christmas in space. Tim played in Razorcuts in the 1980s, a band that, before signing to Creation Records, released singles on the Subway Organization label, just as The Chesterf!elds did. Simon Chesterf!eld had recorded a single for the 2024 edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, so I guess that was how Tim learned about the label. I wrote back that I was interested, but that I prefer to release new songs, not songs already released, like the band's cover of 'Silver Bells'.

Months later, out of the blue, Tim sent me two songs, the Christmas in space original he had talked about, and a cover of 'Winter', originally recorded by The Loft. I really liked both songs, and although I already had four bands for the 2025 edition, I decided to add Silver Biplanes as fifth release. When about two weeks later, it turned out one of the four original bands had to pull out, we were back to the initially planned four releases for the 2025 edition. Sometimes everything just falls into place in the end.

Both songs of the single are now online, so you can hear why I did not have any doubts to let Silver Biplanes join the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, after hearing the songs!

The band Silver Biplanes formed during the 2020 lockdown when multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Tim Vass and his wife, singer Vanessa Vass, began working on songs together. Both Tim and Vanessa have a long history in the indie music scene. Tim was a member of the indie rock band the Razorcuts, who had two top three albums on the indie charts in the late 1980s, as well as the psychedelic bands Red Chair Fadeaway and Dandelion Wine. Vanessa sang in the indie pop band The Melons in the 1990s. The Melons released several singles, including two on Damaged Goods. After recording a first demo in July 2021, Rob Scott, another former member of the Melons, joined them on drums. So far, the group has released two albums: 'A Moment In The Sun' (2023, on Where It's At Is Where You Are) and 'Travelling By Candlelight' (2024, on Where It's At Is Where You Are and the Greek label Old Bad Habits). Recently, they released a four-song 10" EP titled 'Coming Up For Air' on Precious. The band calls itself a melodic indie group, and their music is influenced by a wide array of genres, including indie pop, post-punk, psychedelic rock, glam rock, and krautrock.

In 2022, Silver Biplanes recorded the famous silver-themed Christmas song: 'Silver Bells'. Now, three years later, the trio—joined by guitarist Noel Douglas—offers their first original Christmas song for a Snowflakes Christmas Club single: 'Christmastime In Outer Space'. A blend of indie rock and synthpop, the song takes listeners on a rocket trip far from church bells and Christmas trees. Space echoes and a motorik-like beat give the song a sense of traveling through outer space. The B-side, 'Winter', is a cover of a song by the legendary indie rock band The Loft. The Silver Biplanes give the song a complete makeover. With dreamy vocals by Vanessa and a melancholic organ-like keyboard backing, it has an early 1980s feel (Virginia Astley springs to mind) and a timeless quality that perfectly captures the feeling of winter. The single is pressed on white bio vinyl and comes in a retro-looking sleeve designed by wiaiwya.

Listen to the songs on Bandcamp:

You can still order the three still available 7"'s of this year's edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, including the Silver Biplanes single on Big Cartel: Snowflake's Big Cartel

The Jeanines Christmas single - stars and snow

Jeanines
Till I See Your Star Tonight / Listen, The Snow Is Falling
(Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, Snowflake 37, The Netherlands, 2025)

Early in 2024, I was in contact with Massachusetts-based Jeanines about doing a Christmas single for the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. The band was interested, but could not make the deadline that year. I was happy that, when I approached them again late 2024, they agreed the record a single for the 2025 edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. I already knew following the band for some years, was introduced to them by their 2020 EP 'Things Change', which I loved. In 2024, Jeanines did some shows with Swansea Sound, who toured the US that year, and had recorded for Snowflakes in 2021. Jeanines' new 2025 album was released on Skep Wax, which is also the label of Swansea Sound and which is run by Rob and Amelia of Swansea Sound / Heavenly. I think Jeanines' Christmas single worked out great, and I am not the only one who thinks so, as all 320 copies of the single are basically sold out, even before the official release date of November 28. The two tracks are now online. More information about the single can be found below.

Earlier this year, Massachusetts-based duo Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith, better known as Jeanines, released their third album on the highly respected indie labels Slumberland (US) and Skep Wax (UK). Like their two previous Slumberland LPs, the album shimmers with jangling guitars, bright melodies, and wistful vocals and angelic harmonies.

Now they are releasing a new 7" recorded for the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. The A-side, 'Till I See Your Star Tonight', is a burst of indiepop perfection, expressing deep yearning for a loved one as the holiday season approaches. It has all the trademark Jeanines elements—one listen is enough to get the song stuck in your head for the rest of the holiday season.

'Listen, The Snow Is Falling', written by Yoko Ono and the B-side to Ono and John Lennon's Christmas classic 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)', seems to become more popular every year, as evidenced by the number of bands that have recently covered the song. Jeanines give the song a brand new sound for the 2025 holiday season. With crystal-clear guitars, Alicia’s violin playing, and Jed's pounding drumbeat, they inject the song with a 1960s American West Coast feel. At less than two minutes, the song fits right in with Jeanines' catalog of short songs that never take longer than necessary. The single, pressed on white bio vinyl, comes in a seasonal sleeve featuring artwork by Zoë Wyner, and is limited to 280 copies.

Listen to the songs on Bandcamp:

You can still order the three still available 7"'s of this year's edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, including the Jeanines' single on Big Cartel: Snowflake's Big Cartel

The Bhopal's Flowers Christmas single - the Magi not only bring presents from the East, but also music

Bhopal's Flowers
Incense Myrrh & Gold / Jingle Bells
(Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, Snowflake 36, The Netherlands, 2025)

Bhopal's Flowers are from Montréal, Canada, just like Les Pommes De Lunes, who recorded a single for the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club last year. This is no coincidence. Les Pommes de Lune's single made Bhopal's Flowers aware of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. The band was already considering for some time to do a Christmas single, had even recorded two songs, but couldn't find a label.

One of those two songs you now find on the B-side of their Snowflakes single: 'Jingle Bells'. When I heard the song, I immediately liked it, as it was very different from any other versions of 'Jingle Bells' around. And that is also what Snowflakes is about: to present completely new and original takes on Christmas music. The original song was not finished yet, and initially not as strong as 'Jingle Bells'. But after some serious reworking, it became a completely different and very strong song. It has a more Middle-eastern vibe, and reflects the sound of the area the Magis were from.

More information about the band, who recently opened for another band that was inspired by Indian music, Kula Shaker, below.

There aren't a lot of Christmas songs that include Persian Târ, twelve-string guitar, tanpura, and sitar, but Bhopal's Flowers Christmas song 'Incense, Myrrh & Gold' has all of them. Despite their Indian-sounding name, Bhopal’s Flowers are from Montreal, Canada. Since 2018, they have released three well-received albums and one single on labels like Sound Effects and Hypnotic Bridge. In their music, Bhopal’s Flowers—the brainchild of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Lionel Pezzano—mix a wide array of influences, including psychedelic rock, sunshine pop, French pop, and Hindustani and Middle Eastern sounds. 'Incense, Myrrh & Gold' is a catchy song about the Magi who came from the East to bring presents to the newborn King.

The B-side features Bhopal’s Flowers' cover of one of the most recorded Christmas songs ever, taking it to places it has never been before. Imagine if the Beatles had decided to record 'Jingle Bells' at the end of a long recording session for their classic album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, with Ravi Shankar present to play a sitar solo. Give Bhopal's Flower's rendition of 'Jingle Bells' a listen and you'll have a good sense of how that might have sounded. The single comes packaged in a stylish, 1970s-inspired sleeve on snow-white bio vinyl, limited to 320 copies.

Listen to the songs on Bandcamp:

You can still order the three still available 7"'s of this year's edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, including the single by Bhopal's Flowers on Big Cartel: Snowflake's Big Cartel

The La Nouvelle Musique Snowflakes Christmas single - music online and vinyl already sold out!

La Nouvelle Musique
Walking In The Air / Face Of A Saint
(Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, Snowflake 39, The Netherlands, 2025)

The time has come to introduce the four singles that are released as part of this year's edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. We start with the fourth and last snowflake of 2025. Maybe not the most logical thing to do, to start at the end, but knowing that the band has already put the music online and the record is sold out - at least, here at Snowflakes Headquarters - I think it's a good idea to start with this single. Although the single is sold out here, the band still has copies, and you can also pre-order the single from several UK (online) shops.

The idea was to have 280 copies of each of the four singles, but in the end, Record Industry pressed 320 of the three other singles, and 280 of this one, which explain why this record is already sold out and the others are not (yet, Jeanines is close to being sold out).

When I heard La Nouvelle Musique's first single 'Time Ticks Slowly', released on lathe cut vinyl, I was really impressed. Without doubt one of my favorite singles of 2025. I checked out some other songs on their Bandcamp, and decided to ask them for Snowflakes. Fortunately, they were into the idea of recording a Christmas single, and I am happy they were, as the single turned out great!

More about the band and the record below.

The London-based psych-folk husband-and-wife duo La Nouvelle Musique released their self-titled debut album earlier in 2025 on Friends Of The Fish/Fruits de Mer Records, after releasing a 7-song EP last year. Singer and pianist Joanna Beck is a composer and performance artist who creates electroacoustic music and sonic art, and has scored theater and film productions. Guitarist Ian de Sylva played in the indie rock band Silver in the 1990s and has recorded as a solo artist. As La Nouvelle Musique, the duo creates psychedelic, cinematic music influenced by British folk.

In line with their preference for incorporating cinematic elements into their music, they chose to record 'Walking In The Air' from the soundtrack of the British animated film The Snowman for their Christmas single. Composer Howard Blake wrote the song, which was originally recorded for the film by Peter Auty and turned into a Top 5 hit in 1985 by another boy chorister, Aled Jones. The song became a British Christmas classic and has been included on many Christmas albums.

Accompanied by acoustic guitar and subtle electronics, Joanna sings the song beautifully. Angelic harmonies and whistling make the song sound even more delicate. In the original song on the B-side, the atmospheric piano ballad 'Face Of A Saint', Joanna showcases the full extent of her vocal range, harmonizing with herself. The song's imaginative lyrics paint a picture of traveling through wintry scenery where gray skies and darkness are illuminated by a light "brighter than we'll ever know". Musically and lyrically, 'Face Of A Saint' complements 'Walking In The Air,' as both songs touch on similar themes and evoke the cozy warmth of a fire on a chilly Christmas night. Released as part of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, the single comes packaged in stylish artwork and is pressed on limited-edition white bio vinyl.

Listen to the songs here:

You can still order the vinyl through the band: La Nouvelle Musique Bandcamp

Indie pop Christmas perfection from Scotland

The Cords
Favourite Time
(Heavenly Creature Records / Slumberland Records, Flexi, UK/US, 2024)

In early November 2024, Jim Goodwin from the excellent Christmas Underground blog brought to my attention a newly released Christmas flexi 7" that he thought I would like. It was by a band called The Cords and was a co-release between the Scottish label Heavenly Creatures and the American label Slumberland Records. I was unaware of Heavenly Creature, but Slumberland is regarded as one of the most prominent independent labels from the United States, with numerous releases that ultimately made it into my collection. The one-sided flexi was already sold out on Heavenly Creature' website, but I was lucky enough to pick up a copy from the Slumberland website just in time. The flexi had one song, 'Favourite Time', which I absolutely adored. 'Favourite Time' is the perfect pop song, with great melodies and harmonies, and full of punk energy. It reminded me of the C86 bands I love so much, such as Talulah Gosh, The Primitives, and The Flatmates.

'Favourite Time' became one of my favorite songs of the 2024 Christmas season and introduced me to The Cords, a band that proved with their self-titled 2025 debut album that the hype surrounding them was entirely justified. The Cords instantly became my favorite new band of the 2020s. The Cords is made up of two teenage sisters, Eva and Grace Tedeschi, from Inverkip, a village near Greenock, a small industrial town in Scotland not far from Glasgow. Eva plays guitar and sings, and Grace plays drums. They started performing in 2023, and since then, they've shared the stage with legendary Scottish C-86 bands like The Vaselines and BMX Bandits; Scottish indie superstars, Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura; Scottish singer-songwriter, Carla J. Easton; their idol, Rose Melberg from Tiger Trap; and San Francisco jangle-pop band, The Umbrellas. In May, Heavenly Creature released their debut single, a two-song cassette with the tracks 'Bo's New Haircut' and 'Rather Not Stay'. Jonny Scott and Simon Liddell, both members of the indie-folk band Olympic Swimmers, recorded the songs. Marc Riley of BBC 6 played the single on his radio program and invited the girls to do a live session. In an interview with the Greenock Telegraph, Eva told the reporter that all the support they receive "feels amazing but surreal".

It seems that The Cords want to try out as many formats as possible for releasing their music. To promote their upcoming album, they released a lathe-cut 7" and a CD single of the first track, 'Fabulist', which is another example of pop-punk perfection. The album was released in the US by Slumberland and in the UK by Skep Wax, a label run by C-86 legends Rob Pursey and Amelia Fletcher, founding members of Talulah Gosh and Heavenly, two of the most important bands of the C-86/twee pop scene. This is another illustration of how much the girls are loved by the bands that inspired their sound. The album was produced by Jonny Scott and Simon Liddell, who also played keyboards, as did Carla J. Easton. Guitarist Stuart Braithwaite of the post-rock band Mogwai lent the girls his "beautiful Jazzmaster", adding yet another legendary musician to the list of those supporting The Cords.

Now, let's return to The Cord's Christmas flexi. 'Favourite Time' was pressed on a red flexi and came in a sleeve with artwork by Marc Tedeschi. He is the manager and father of Eva and Grace. An amateur drummer himself who never made it into a band, he and the girls’ mother, Louise, were responsible for raising them around good music. The girls were encouraged to learn any instrument they wanted, starting around age five. Grace turned out to be a talented drummer. When she was 10 years old, her drum teacher, Lesley McClaren, shared videos of her drumming along with indie rock songs. Even at that young age, Grace was determined to eventually drum in a band. A dream that has now become true. 'Favourite Time' was recorded during the sessions for the album and explains what makes Christmas the favorite time of year for Eva and Grace: putting on their favorite clothes under the snowy sky, singing a Christmas lullaby, drinking ginger chai, and finding something in their shoes. Though, I could have misunderstood that last part. In Holland, it's a tradition to put presents in shoes instead of in socks, like in the US, although not for Christmas, but for the celebration of St. Nicholas in early December. Perhaps there is such a tradition in Scotland, too. 'Favourite Time' is upbeat and energetic. It even has church bells and sleigh bells! It's the perfect song to get you in the Christmas mood! While you're at it, don't forget to ask Santa Claus to bring you the band's debut album for Christmas. It'll become your new favorite record!

Listen to the song here: