If you’re the kind of person who spends November denouncing your friends for putting up their tinsel trees, shaking your fist in the mince pie aisles in Tesco, and plugging your ears against catching a bar of Last Christmas on the radio … look away now. Christmas simply cannot come early enough, as far as I’m concerned. It’s sparkly and tasty and warm and full of love and goodness and fun – so why on earth would you deprive yourself from an early helping of that good stuff just because you haven’t yet taken down the Halloween decorations? (Hallow-mas is THE look of November 2023, you read it here first.)
Anyway, the good people of indie lable Cherryade Records know this, and so today they release the latest volume (number 17!) in their annual ‘A Very Cherry Christmas’ compilation CD series. There’s lots to love here – 25 tracks ranging from Punk-Rock to twee Indiepop to Electro-Pop from around the world, and 16 of these tracks are brand new 2023 recordings made for this CD. The remaining 9 songs were previously released digitally on Bandcamp and streaming sites, but had no physical release.
The full album is available exclusively on CD in a limited edition of 200 copies from the label’s Bandcamp page cherryaderecords.bandcamp.com for just £6 plus postage.
Here’s a helpful tracklisting and info on each of the bands …
1. Problem Patterns – Christmas Number One
This Belfast four-piece of feminist punks have received quite a lot of attention this year, including being featured as “One to watch” by The Guardian/Observer and receiving regular plays on BBC 6Music by Steve Lamacq and the New Music Fix with Tom Robinson and Deb Grant. They released their debut album ‘Blouse Club’ in October 2023.
But before getting a record deal, they recorded this Christmas song during Covid in 2020. The lyrics do mention going on Zoom and being alone, but, unlike most Covid Christmas songs, it actually still stands up really well in 2023!
2. The Photocopies – I’m Not Coming Home For Christmastime
The Photocopies is essentially one man; London-born musician/singer Sean Turner (now based in Michigan, USA). A highly prolific artist, his Bandcamp page is a treasure trove of Indiepop nuggets. This track was originally on his 2022 digital EP called ‘Cheer Up, It’s Christmas’.
3. ROCONIZE – Presents…
ROCONIZE (all in block capitals!) is also the work of one man, Gilbert Arizona musician/singer/graphic artist Tyler Martin. With influences from Weezer, Los Campesinos! and general Geek Rock bands, his Christmas track is a hyper musical giddy rollercoaster ride through the mission of gift giving.
4. The Surfisticats – Santa Bring Me A Surfboard Please
The Surfisticats are a Cambridge UK Surf Guitar band who released their debut EP in May 2023. This is an original Christmas composition with no lyrics, but the title says it all. However, if a surf board was giftwrapped under the tree, you’d proabbly notice what it was!
5. ToyDisco – A Gameboy For Christmas ’96
ToyDisco are Manchester electro-pop duo Hollie Smith and Peet Earnshaw who prefer electronic gadgets to surfboards.
6. The Twelve Hour Foundation – Thank You Letters (Written on Basildon Bond)
The Twelve Hour Foundation are Bristol electronic duo Polly Hulse and Jez Butler with an ode to the lost art of writing “thank you” letters for the Christmas gifts your grandma sent you. And despite this nostalgia trip, Basildon Bond paper does still exist in 2023!
7. Ombudsmen – Stop the Cavalry
Follwing their recent EP released in October 2023, this Manchester funk-punk band recorded this reggae meets electro take on the Jona Lewie classic.
8. Portable Radio – Thinking About Christmas
Portable Radio are a Manchester Indiepop band who released their new album ‘Counting To Three’ in October 2023. This song is taken from a 5-track Christmas digital EP released back in 2019.
9. The Get Arounds – Xmas Radio
These Vancouver Punk-Rockers released their new album ‘I Wanna Live’ in February 2023. But this salute to the power of radio was a digital single in 2022. They actually released in on December 25th!
10. The Yellow Melodies – Por fin es Navidad
Indiepop band The Yellow Melodies, from Madrid in Spain, have been recording a Christmas song for us each year for the past few volumes of A Very Cherry Christmas. It’s now become a Christmas tradition! This year they’ve delivered another Indiepop classic, sung in their native Spanish tongue, complete with a children’s choir. Roy Wood should be impressed!
11. Building Rockets – Christmas Island
Just like The Yellow Melodies, Building Rockets have been recording Christmas songs for us for quite a while. It is essentially the project of Austin, Texas musician/singer-songwriter Sam Heath. This year he’s in a cocktail mood. So sip a margarita as you dream of being on Christmas Island.
12. Edam Edam – Krampus
Edam Edam is a ukulele-playing singer-songwriter/musician/comic book artist called Shyle Zalewski from Paris, France. This is an ode to the evil demon monster version of Santa Claus called Krampus. Shyle says “In France, where I live, he’s called ‘The Whipper Father’ (le Père Fouettard). It’s an old funny dumb legend. Parents told their kids that the Whipper Father will come to punish them if they’ve been bad boys or girls. So in this song, the narrator is Krampus and he’s getting ready to whip some nasty buttcheeks.”
13. Eddie Mole – The Snow Is Falling
Eddie Mole is a singer-songwriter and musician from Bristol UK. He released several digital singles in 2023, but this track was released in the Covid Christmas of 2020.
14. Keith Burton – Christmas Food Shopping In Adverse Weather Conditions, On Foot
Keith produces comedy songs from his shed in Wakefield, UK. This song recounts a perilous mission to get to UK supermarkets without transport during a typical British Winter.
15. Canadians in Space – Peace & Gravy
They’re not from Canada and they’ve never been to space! This South Yorkshire duo write comedy songs and released a Christmas EP in 2022. This track celebrates Christmas dinner, decorations and the family trials and tribulations that go with it.
16. The Shop Window – Santa’s Little Helper
The Shop Window are a jangly Indiepop band from Maidstone, UK. They will release a new album ‘Daysdream’ in May 2024. Meanwhile enjoy their Christmas single from 2021.
17. Baby in the Bitch Seat – Mrs. Claus
This punk-rock four-piece from Annapolis, Maryland released their debut EP in April 2023. Their post-punk ode to Mrs. Claus shows how she really feels when her husband is out all night.
18. Goddammit Jeremiah – Keep Your Christmas Tree For Burning
Cambridge queercore punk-pop three-piece who have written and recorded a whopping 27 Christmas songs between 2015 – 2022! This was their Christmas single from 2022.
19. Diane Marie Kloba – One Song
Diane is a prolific experimental singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. Her Christmas track actually makes no reference to Christmas whatsoever, but it does mention the Winter Solstice. This is a song about getting together to unite for one song.
20. My Lo-Fi Heart – I Wrote A Christmas Song For You
My Lo-Fi Heart is the solo project of Sheffield musician/singer Ian Turley. He is also the drummer with Sheffield Indiepop band All Ashore. He was suffering from writer’s block when he penned this track.
21. The Hannah Barberas – It’s Christmas Time Again
This London Indiepop three-piece have released 4 Christmas EPs between 2018 – 2022. This track, taken from their 2nd Christmas EP in 2019, is a cover version of a lesser-known 1966 Christmas single by Rueben Anderson. His original version was released on the Jamaican label; Doctor Bird.
22.The Strays – Christmas Time Is Here Again
The Strays are a duo based in Tokyo, Japan, featuring British musicians Andi Brooks and Mark Draper, with a haunting Marc Bolan meets Lou Reed-style vocal. This thought-provoking Christmas track samples news coverage of the Russia/Ukraine war.
23. Steveless – I Quite Like Christmas
John Peel was a big fan of Steveless, the solo project of singer/musician Dan Newman. He’s been fairly quiet in recent years, but in November 2023 he returned with a brand new 25-track album (all the songs are very short!) called ‘Low’ (which sounds absolutely nothing like David Bowie or the Minnesota Indie band), plus he recorded this lo-fi alternative festive track for us during the same sessions.
24. Jimmy from the Bobby McGees – How Soon Is Christmas?
A solo recording from one half of former cult Scottish Indie-Folk duo The Bobby McGees. Completely a cappella and recorded in one take on his mobile phone, this is possibly the most lo-fi track we’ve ever released. But we wouldn’t have it any other way!
25. Pete Drake and Doctor Bongo – A Spider’s Christmas
North Lincolnshire singer-songwriter Pete Drake is like a one man Half Man Half Biscuit. His witty lyrics saw him reach no.2 on the Festive 50 chart in 2021 (the listener-voted chart originally hosted by John Peel) with his single ‘All The Bands My Mates Can’t Stand’, only beaten to no.1 by IDLES! This is Pete’s third Christmas song for us (this time joined by friend Doctor Bongo) with an epic song spinning a web of stories related to the UK King of Christmas music, Sir Cliff Richard!