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Whether it’s to keep you company on frosty walks to work or the soundtrack to a festive evening with friends, winter tunes are a necessity at this time of year. This article is a guide to 9 of our favourite songs by local artists for the chilly season. For our full playlist of festive faves, see below!
Zuzu – Distant Christmas
Zuzu is providing those melancholy christmas vibes with her festive original Distant Christmas. This song feels akin to 2000s christmas rom-coms in which angry, sad and loving letters are written in red felt-tip pen only to never be sent. The song tells the story of trudging through snow and the memories of a relationship past, taking you along with Zuzu as she navigates this nostalgic time of year. This track is for those who find themselves longing and overthinking during celebrations, reminded all too well of christmas’s past and how times change.
LARO – Wishful Thinking
While this track isn’t as definitively festive, the sparkling melody and catchy chorus make this song a perfect tune for those who aren’t too keen on the merry christmas songs we’re used to hearing this time of year and would prefer something more angsty and relatable. LARO’s lyrics are direct and sharp, delivered by a soft and delicate voice, almost unbothered in it’s precision. We would recommend this song for fans of the likes of Taylor Swift and any jilted lovers out there who are looking for a playful song to help them through the winter cuffing season.
Crawlers – Hang Me Like Jesus
Local band Crawlers have had what can only be described as an epic year, shooting into stardom with their viral songs and international touring, so it feels only right to include them on this round up of winter faves for 2022! Hang Me Like Jesus is one of Crawlers quieter tracks, taking on the feeling of an alternative christmas song you’d hear in the back of your favourite indie festive film as the main character takes an emotional walk through the snowy streets of a city at night. With the same hard hitting lyrics they’re known for and lilting melodies paired with slowly ebbing accompaniment, this is another track that will provide comfort and company for those reminiscing and holding their sadness on long winter nights.
Samya O’Grady – L’amour
With her trademark ethereal vocals and reverb soaked instrumentation, Samya O’Grady’s L’amour is the track for lovers out there, finding themselves floating in a dream of festive romance. Sang in french with the most delicate tone, this track feels incredibly romantic. The track grows in intensity throughout, an audible journey through emotion and passion and all the precious moments spoken throughout the song. You can imagine this track being the perfect soundtrack to someone’s memories of a new love in the winter time, coloured in the sepia tones of nostalgia.
IamKyami – Grocery Store
As the cold days stretch on past the festivities of christmas, it can feel hard to find warmth and happiness in the every day. IamKyami’s Grocery Store is an ode to finding joy in the little things in life, like your favourite section of your local supermarket. With sweet melodies and love letter lyrics, IamKyami is bringing all the saccharine sounds, brightening up your playlists like fairy lights on a long, dark night. If you are looking for a playful track to fuel your gratitude and bring delight to your ears this winter then this is the song for you!
Mary Hennessy – This Is It
If you’re someone who would prefer to indulge in the hazy sadness of January blues, then This Is It by Mary Hennessy is the track for you. This song reflects on the realities of life through the lens of nostalgic acoustic guitar and Mary’s soft and lamenting vocals. The ambient sounds of birds chirping and the fuzz of swarming sounds paired with lyrics like “lying in bed filled with self-pity and sorrow” make this track feel like a very real representation of those times when there is nothing you can do but face your feelings head on. This track can be a hand to hold through those difficult and emotional moments that tend to raise their head at this time of year.
Sara Wolff – Cotton Socks
While the track name Cotton Socks may seem warm and soft at first, this song is as sharp and cold as ice. With sickly sweet imagery, Sara Wolff creates a sticky trap in which to catch those who cause harm but avoid blame. This track has an ominous feeling, created by the web of clever, subverting lyrics that address themes of misogyny, accountability and anger. The instrumentation feels as though it rolls on and on, minor and menacing in its accompaniment of Sara’s sure vocals that cast a warning through fairytale-like words. In the world of festive tracks, this song is the gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel where sharp icicles are dressed in thick, sugary icing.
Anyone’s Ghost – re: December
This fittingly named wintery track is the perfect choice for those who want to find themselves submerged in ambient noise that sounds like the greyness of winter skies. Anyone’s Ghost creates a desolate world around you, painted in the colours of lamenting melodies and long and building soundscapes. Heavenly vocals seem to reach out and draw you in, intense and neutral all at once, shutting out the doors to the feelings of your everyday life. Whispers of delicate vocals slip past you, mourning and solemnly, offering you a haunting accompaniment through the bleakness of winter.
By The Royal – All We Have
Opening with a choral arrangement that feels destined to be played through the cold winter months, All We Have is the perfect track for indie folk lovers this festive season. With reflective lyrics and the comfortable combination of vocals weaving around each other, this song is like a warm cup of mulled wine on a cold evening. The track grows and flows, taking you on your travels through the wooded landscape of acoustic guitar and sweet harmonies. If you are a fan of the likes of Fleet Foxes then you are sure to find yourself at home with this song.
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