Love it or hate it, Christmas music is big business – especially in the US, where it seems that almost every great artist has recorded something festive for posterity. Apparently, if you’re a country artist, recording a Christmas album is the law. The amount of time and money invested in festive tunes is huge, and that becomes rather bewildering when you consider that the music basically has a shelf life of four or five weeks a year.
Tag Archives: xmas
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #135 (FESTIVE EDITION)
For this visit to the Singles Bar, everything has taken on a distinctly festive theme. We bring you eight Xmas recordings from different artists and genres – ranging from the well known to the genuinely cult – which hopefully will enrich your holiday time playlists for years to come. A much loved rock band offer a new cover tune; there’s a brilliantly ugly electronica themed Elvis tribute, and ‘Santa Baby’ as you’ve probably never heard it before. There’s also a touch of Americana, some great pop, and a nod to the mighty Slade along the way. We hope there’s something here for everyone who loves Christmas music… Pour yourself another eggnog and dive in!
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Listen: King Of Cups are on the ‘Naughty List All Year’
Throughout the second half of 2025, US punkers King of Cups have been teasing a forthcoming album. Each of the singles have shown the band in a position of musical strength: ‘Let The World Burn’ introduced elements of emo and power pop into their pop punk core; ‘Waited’ leaned further towards a world of emo/alternative rock with the help of a few heavier riffs and some Linkin Park-esque keys, and ‘Lighthouse’ – arguably the best of the record’s three pre-release tracks – augmented a stronger emo influence with some great harmonies, but without losing the King of Cups crunch.
THE FEAR – Christmas Time EP
Alternative metallers The Fear had a very successful 2025. Not only did they release their debut ‘Falling Forward’ to a raft of online praise, but the band also got to tour in support of nu metal legends Snot. Not content with that, they also found time to record a bunch of festive tunes which, released as the ‘Christmas Time’ EP pretty much the moment December reared its very cold bonce, showed that the lads not only had a serious work ethic, but also a sense of fun.
Listen: Laptop receive a ‘Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis’ on new cover tune
During the last quarter of 2025, alternative band Laptop released a couple of really interesting singles. Taking the energies of OK-Go, a huge influence from new wave and the quirky, melodic charm of Beck, their best work has managed to catch the ear of many a music fan immersed in cult sounds.