It got us thinking: what songs could technically count as Christmas songs even though they have year-round appeal? Which song’s lowkey festivity can be listened to both on a summery day or in the depths of winter? Here is a playlist put together lovingly by MITB., filled to the brim with undercover festivity.
‘Let’s Go To Bed’ by The Cure
Marking a foray into a synthier sound for Robert Smith and Co., ‘Let’s Go To Bed’ is a pop-tinged goth dancefloor filler; its clanging percussion and delicate synths have made it a staple in the band’s discography. As a twinkle descends in the background of the second verse, Smith sings, “laughing at the Christmas lights / you remember from December". The music video features the then two-member band decorating a tree, collapsing into it. Thereby, we argue that ‘Let’s Go To Bed’ could be a Christmas staple, if you choose to accept it as such.
‘The Mixed Tape’ by Jack’s Mannequin
Hailing from perhaps one of the sunniest and summeriest pop-punk albums of the 2000s, Jack’s Mannequin’s ‘Everything in Transit’, ‘The Mixed Tape’ is a song packed to the brim with yearning; it is a tale of the song’s protagonist painstakingly compiling a mixtape for their beloved. Its punchy guitar is punctuated by a lull of jingling bells in the dip between chorus and verse. This undeniably festive tinge, paired with the song being the sonic equivalent of the drama of running to the airport before your love interest gets on the plane, the song pairs perfectly with the festive season.
‘The Last Man on Earth’ by Wolf Alice
Charged with emotion, choral and almost its own hymn, ‘The Last Man on Earth’ captures the beauty in the bitterness of winter in its soundscape, while retelling stories of the powers of human connection that are echoed throughout the season in film and in life. Its guitar solo sounds like pure glam rock in its tone, which clashes beautifully with the layered vocals. Twinkling through the pitch-black evenings, the song is a portrait of the light amongst the melancholia of the long winter.
‘Oh, Ms Believer’ by Twenty One Pilots
Backed by a stable sleigh bell shake, this early Twenty One Pilots classic was the soundtrack to many a mid-2010s Tumblr binge. Tales of winters of death, wear muff-ed denial and slow journeys through the cold make for the perfect Christmas listen. Haunting in its presentation, the listener is swaddled in an icy chill and carried by the strings and frontman Tyler Joseph’s shaking yet commanding voice rising amongst the bells.
‘Horchata’ by Vampire Weekend
With balaclavas very much back in fashion to keep the cold off your face, Vampire Weekend’s twee take on complaining about the weather perfectly encapsulates the prickly feeling of wool on skin, wishing you could have your feet on hot sand. Much like the other songs on this list, the jaunty jingling bells give the songs a wintery feel, but prickles of percussive marimba fight back. The song has all the bells and whistles of a modern winter classic, both in its instrumentation and its bitter humour.
Though enjoyed year-round, much like the 1988 nail-biting thriller, these songs sound particularly good when surrounded by twinkling lights, huddled by a fire, or drinking a hot beverage and wishing you could feel your fingers.
Eylem Boz
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