The holidays are upon us, and whether you’re feeling festive or not, musicians are climbing aboard the tinsel bandwagon with new songs for the season. We offer to you a week’s worth of them, nestled in one place, like gifts under a tree.
YOKO ONO - "LISTEN, THE SNOW IS FALLING"
Yoko Ono's 1971 song "Listen the Snow is Falling" was recorded at the same time as John Lennon’s "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and was released as that song's b-side. But it's never been available on streaming platforms till this week.
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VARIOUS ARTISTS - A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR YOU (FROM ZERO HOUR)
Back in 1995, NYC indie label Zero Hour released a terrific holiday compilation featuring tracks by Kevin Salem, Boyracer, Space Needle, The Black Watch, The Cucumbers and more, plus artwork by the great Steve Keene (Pavement, Apples in Stereo). Out of print for two decades, it's just been put on streaming serviced for the first time and all proceeds -- including Bandcamp sales -- benefit the A Leg To Stand On charity organization who are raising funds "to provide critical and life-changing mobility treatments to children in emerging market countries."
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HALF PAST TWO - "HOLIDAY" (GREEN DAY COVER)
Half Past Two, who released one of the best ska albums of 2021, also just put out the Holidays EP with covers of "Holiday" by Green Day, "Holiday" by Vampire Weekend, "Holiday" by Weezer, and "Holiday" by Madonna, and they also made a video for the Green Day cover.
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CORVAIR - "UNDER THE TREE"
Portland band Corvair have shared this truly pretty holiday original. “I grew up in Omaha and it has inspired multiple songs now, including this one," says Corvair’s Heather Larimer. "Omaha gets very colorless and bleak this time of year, so people really pull out all the stops with decorations—especially the plastic blow-mold snowmen and Santas. It creates an eerie glow all over the city: dirty snow, opaque white sky, bitter cold, and these incandescent figures on every block, saying, ‘Hey now, let’s be merry, ok?’"
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LADBABY - "SAUSAGE ROLLS FOR EVERYONE" FT ELTON JOHN AND ED SHEERAN
Last week, Ed Sheeran and Elton John released "Merry Christmas," and now they've teamed up with UK YouTube novelty duo Ladbaby for their annual holiday song. Proceeds go towards the Trussell Trust’s mission to support those in poverty and hunger.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the ‘New Songs’ archive and our “Holiday Music” category.