Last Friday, I provided an overview of all the Christmas singles in the 7" or 4" format that had been announced up to that point.
Since then, a few more new Christmas singles have been announced.
Since 2021, 12/23 Records has released Christmas records to raise money for the Nancy Langhorne Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Virginia that raises money for cancer research and provides free screenings for those who are uninsured. The foundation and label are run by Richard Langhorne, a Christmas music enthusiast. When you donate to the foundation, you can choose one or more records to receive as a thank you.
This year, 12/23 Records released two 7" records: a two-song record by Jonathan Russell that includes cover versions of two Christmas classics: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band, and "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" by Elvis Presley. Jonathan Russell is the guitarist and singer in the Seattle-based indie folk band The Head And The Heart. For this record, he is backed by a group of musicians from Richmond, Virginia, including Todd Herrington (Cris Jacobs Band) and DJ Harrison (Butcher Brown), as well as two different choirs. The single has been released in three editions: translucent green vinyl (150 copies), cream vinyl (100 copies), and marbled red vinyl signed by the artist (50 copies).
The second release is a four-song 7" EP by Honey Marmalade, titled Holiday Rock. It features cover versions of "Mistress For Christmas" (AC/DC) and "Run Rudolph Run" (Chuck Berry), among others. Honey Marmalade is a Brooklyn-based singer, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, and is backed by a group of New York City musicians, including Sarah Elaz (Boojum), as well as guest guitarists Daniel Donato and Al Schnier (Moe.). The EP is available on yellow vinyl (250 copies) or green marbled vinyl (50 copies), both of which are signed.
You can donate to receive both records at the 12/23 website.
In 2024, Savannah, Georgia-born country star Megan Moroney released a three-song EP titled Blue Christmas… Duh". The swinging country rocker "All I Want For Christmas Is A Cowboy" was released as the lead single. This year, the EP is being released for the first time in physical form as a three-song 7" EP pressed on blue vinyl. As well as the 2024 lead single and a cover of the Christmas classic that gave the EP its title, it also features the song "Christmas Morning". Unfortunately, the single sold out within hours of going on sale on Megan's website.
In 2017, Tarja Turunen, the former lead singer of the Finnish melodic metal band Nightwish, released the Christmas album From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas). The album was accompanied by three 7" records. Each one featured two different versions of a Christmas classic: "O Come O Come Emmanuel" (one in English and one in Latin), "O Tannenbaum" (one in German and one in English), and "Feliz Navidad" (one charity version featuring many guest singers, and one album version). Only 1,000 copies were pressed and it seems many were left over, as Tarja's label Ear Music has repackaged 200 copies as a limited-edition single bundle. This comes shrink-wrapped with an extra inlay. If you don't have the singles yet, this is a cheaper way to get them, and they are well worth checking out. Tarja's German version of 'O Tannenbaum' is by far my favourite version of a song that I had never taken seriously before. But I do now, after having heard Tarja's version, as she took it to a whole new level. It's bombastic, but it works. You can buy the bundle from several mail order companies, including HHV.de in Germany, Napalm Records in Austria, and Large Mailorder in the Netherlands.
In December, Japanese artist Mocche Nagaia, of the now-defunct Japanese ska group Sukiyakis and the still active The Eskargot Miles, will release a new single titled "Wakaranaina". The B-side features a cover of "White Christmas" — an interesting addition for us Christmas music collectors. Mocche has turned "White Christmas" into a ska song, singing the lyrics partly in Japanese and partly in English. It will be available in the UK from Juno Records and in Germany from HHV.de, although it is rather expensive at the latter.
We have entered the month of November, Halloween is behind us, so enough reason to give an overview of the little vinyl treasures this Christmas season will bring us.
In this first post, I will give you, dear reader, a short overview of the new Christmas singles that so far have been announced. For those who doubt the fact the traditional Christmas 7" single has made a strong comeback - just look at which big names have announced a new 7" Christmas single this year: Olivia Rodrigo, Sam Fender, Jason Mraz, Cynthia Erivo, Sufjan Stevens and good old Elton John.
Olivia Rodrigo is one of the many young women scoring pop hit after pop hit. She has even managed to appeal to the alternative music crowd, thanks to her collaborations with alternative music icons such as David Byrne from Talking Heads, Robert Smith from The Cure and Rivers Cuomo from Weezer. Today, Olivia has released her Christmas single, "Take Me Home (4 Christmas)", with another original, "Miss This Christmas", on the B-side. A red vinyl version is available to buy through her official store in the USA (and through local Universal Music dealers elsewhere), while a green vinyl version with alternative artwork is exclusively on sale at Target in the USA, HMV in the UK, and HHV in the European Union. This is a very welcome gesture from Olivia and her label in these times of tariffs on imports.
Another Christmas record released today is Sufjan Stevens' compilation album, Worst Christmas Ever, which includes highlights from his many Christmas records released over the years. If you bought the album from the Asthmatic Kitty website, you could order a special edition that came with a 7" single. Unlike the album, the single features four previously unreleased and most likely recently recorded songs: an original Sufjan song called "On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better)" and three covers songs: Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here", plus "Blue Christmas" and "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer". Unfortunately, the special edition with the 7" single has now sold out.
Then we head over to Sweden, where the post-punk band Hurula released a one-sided Christmas single on translucent red vinyl today. Hurula is the project of Robert Hurula Petterson, who has played in several Swedish punk bands, including The Dead Ones, The Lost Patrol Band and Regulations. The single is titled "December Kom Igen" (December, Come On Then) and is an adaptation of Wham!'s "Last Christmas". I don't speak Swedish, but judging by the title, I'd say the lyrics aren't a translation of Wham!'s hit, but are completely new. You can buy the single at Bengans.
Neither of the two songs on Jason Mraz's seasonal single, which will be released on Friday 13 November, has "Christmas" in the title. However, both "Snow In San Diego" and "Money!" are Christmas-themed songs. "Snow In San Diego" is a piano ballad, while "Money!" has a swing feel. The single will be available to purchase through Jason's webshop, and will also be available soon through Rough Trade for people in the UK or the European Union — although it cannot be ordered yet.
English singer Sam Fender had several big hits in the UK this year and won the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year in May. He recorded a cover of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" which Mick Jagger seems to really like (or perhaps he is just being nice). Although the song is not a Christmas song, it has been used in this year's John Lewis Christmas advert. With a little imagination, you could interpret it as a message to people who ask for too many presents at Christmas. The B-side features Sam Fender's 2020 cover of Lindisfarne's "Winter Song", which, despite its title, is a Christmas song. It is perhaps disappointing that the winner of the Award for Songwriter of the Year has not recorded a self-penned Christmas song, but the single will still be a hit. However, I am pretty sure the single will be a hit anyway. It will be released on 13 November on black vinyl and can be ordered through Sam's website.
Cynthia Erivo was one of the stars of the musical Wicked. On 4 December, she will release a Christmas single featuring the original song "Spending My Christmas With You" and a cover of the classic "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole. For "Spending My Christmas With You", she is joined by talk show host Jimmy Fallon. The single is pressed on green vinyl and is signed by Cynthia. It can only be bought through her webshop.
Another Christmas record to be released on 4 December is a double 7" EP by Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based indie rock veterans Superchunk. They have just announced that they will release a winter-themed EP titled Winter Mix, featuring a cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas" and four winter- or snow-themed - one original and covers of The Magnetic Fields and Galaxy 500. You could purchase the EP from the band's Bandcamp page - but unfortunately, it is sold out now.
Buddy Miller, a veteran of the Americana and country rock scene, teams up with his wife Julie to bring us two songs: "Nothing But A Child", a Steve Earle song that they sing together, and "On The Road To Bethlehem", written by Julie and performed by Buddy and country singer Sarah Buxton. The single is pressed on red vinyl and will be available from 27 November, although I can already see it being sold by two sellers on Discogs. You can purchase it from the official New West website or order it from your local record store.
Elton John's "Step Into Christmas" has been re-released in the last two years, and now sees another re-release in the form of a re-recording. Elton is joined by Irish indie country singer CMAT, and I have to say, they both sound inspired. The song has been released on a crystal-clear 7" single, with CMAT's reinterpretation of the song on the B-side. The single will be available through the Elton John website, that will direct you to your local Universal Music webstore. Be patient, though — the single is released on 11 December.
11 December is also the release date for this year's edition of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club. This is the 13th edition, featuring singles #40 to #43. I am really happy with the artists who have recorded two songs for their single: the indie/twee pop band Josie from Copenhagen, Denmark; the singer-songwriter Eva May from Brighton, England; the indie pop rock band Amelia and The Housewives from Brighton, England; and the ska/rocksteady singers Donnoya Drake and Junior Dell, who are originally from Jamaica and were produced by the English producer and Original Gravity label owner, Neil Anderson. You can purchase the full set at a great price through the Snowflakes Big Cartel website. The songs will be available online on the Snowflakes Bandcamp site from 20 November.
You have to wait another two weeks before the Snowflakes' singles are available online. In the meantime, you can enjoy the original version of the song that Josie covered.
Swedish musician Johan Agebjörn recorded the Christmas song "Will You Be Home For Christmas" with Dana Jean Phoenix on vocals. Originally recorded for a soundtrack, the song sounds as if it came straight from the 1980s synthpop era. It is pressed on white vinyl and available through Johan's Bandcamp page.
And least two Japanese Christmas singles are set to be released in the 2026 Christmas season. The first is by Dexied The Emons and appears to feature two original songs: "Goodbye Christmas Day! (I Wish She)" and "All My Christmas (I Wish He)". The second is by Minami Kitasono and features a Christmas song called "Hisanna Christmas" on the A-side and a song called "Contrition" on the B-side. Currently, I have no further information about these singles other than that they can be pre-ordered from Juno Records in the UK and HHV in Germany, among others.
Apart from those 7"s with newly recorded Christmas songs, there are a few 7" Christmas singles, and also a few 4" singles (so-called Tiny Vinyl, mostly Target exclusives only available in the US, unfortunately), with previously released songs.
The single I'm most excited about is a 7" release of Dido's 2000 Christmas song, "Christmas Day" — a song that has never been released on vinyl before. The B-side is "Here With Me" — not a Christmas song, but featured in the film Love Actually. You can buy it from Dido's official UK store. It is also available from the German mail order company JPC in the EU. In the EU, the single is also being released in a 12" version.
In 1976, Dutch Schlager singer André Hazes released his debut single, "Eenzame Kerst" (Lonely Christmas). This marked the beginning of a career that would make him one of the most popular Dutch singers ever. To celebrate the song's 40th anniversary, it is being re-released as a black sparkle vinyl single with the original version on the A-side and a re-recorded version from 1992 on the B-side. It is available to purchase from the official Dutch Universal Music store, Platenzaak.nl.
Two Christmas singles that have recently been re-released will be re-released again this year: Modern Talking's 1987 synthpop classic "It's Christmas", which will be released on white vinyl for the first time, and Sean Price's 2012 hip-hop track "How Sean P! Stole Christmas", which will be released on green-and-red splatter vinyl this year.
The Official UK Elvis Presley Fan Club released an Elvis Christmas single last year and is releasing another one this year. The A-side features "If Everyday Was Like Christmas" and the B-side features "Silent Night". You can purchase it from their website.
ABBA's "Happy New Year", which is re-released every year, is now getting a tiny 4" vinyl release, as is their Christmas single "Little Things". Both are available to buy from the official ABBA shop and from your local Universal Music dealer — a company that seems to have monopolised the music industry.
More Tiny Vinyl releases, all exclusively for sale at Target in the US: Brenda Lee: "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" b/w "Papa Noël" Kelly Clarkson: "Underneath The Tree" b/w "Run Rudolph Run" Mariah Carey: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" b/w "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" Michael Bublé: "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" b/w "Holly Jolly Christmas" Sabrina Carpenter: "Buy Me Presents" b/w "Santa Doesn't".
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
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
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
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.
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!
