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: