The 12 jams of Xmas: 2021’s best new holiday music

Is there a more tired playlist than your family’s annual holiday music sampler For many of us, traveling home for the holidays ensures that we’ll not only endure some passive-aggressive familial exchanges we normally spend the rest of the year avoiding; it also means having our ears filled with a list of songs that probably haven’t changed much, if at all, since childhood. And while this can be a warm, welcome blanket of nostalgia at times (hello, A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, old friend), it can also feel a bit calcified. Sure, no one will probably ever surpass Bing Crosby’s original version of “White Christmas” when it comes to pure aural iconography, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like to hear someone try.

And so, we here at The A.V Club have once more dug through the voluminous onslaught of holiday-themed music released over the past year (most of it in the past two months, understandably), in order to find the songs we think you might enjoy adding to the annual rotation. We’ve striven to provide a sampler platter of different genres, styles, and sounds, in hopes that you might find a few keepers—if one track doesn’t suit your mood, hopefully the next one will. These range in spirit from new interpretations of Christmas standards to music that you might not even realize had anything to do with the holidays, unless you listened to the lyrics.

There was only one real condition for inclusion on the following playlist: The song had to be released in 2021. That means we had to pass on a few very recent classics (sorry, Alessia Cara’s “Make It To Christmas”), as well as some songs that were spawned from the pandemic but were technically from 2020, no matter how unfortunately apt they may still be for some. (Wallis’ “Lonely Christmas” might not be a holiday staple yet, but given she’s only 16 years old, it’s safe to say she’s got plenty of time.) Here are the newest holiday tracks to liven your seasonal mood—whether you’re gathering around the tree with loved ones, or just hitting the eggnog hard and looking forward to the year being over.

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Chase Cohl, “Christmastime And You”

Chase Cohl, “Christmastime And You”

Speaking of the rosy-hued spectacles we often don to look back at Christmases past, Chase Cohl has fired up the wayback machine for this song perfectly attenuated to just about any holiday gathering. Sounding like an old 78 you found in the back of your parents’ record collection, “Christmastime And You” comes across like a lost standard, a fusion of the bell-adorned xmas pop of the ’60s and ’70s with just a hint of torch-song intensity. Whether at the yearly office party or your grandparents’ cookie-making event, Cohl’s single would make the perfect soundtrack.

José James, “Christmas In New York”

José James, “Christmas In New York”

It’s hard to hear José James’ “Christmas In New York” and not immediately wish you were under a thick blanket in front of a roaring fire, maybe sipping some mulled wine as the snow floats down outside. The jazz great’s yuletide track (off his recent Merry Christmas album) nails the kind of languid, intimate piano ballad that epitomizes a certain kind of romantically inclined Xmas groove. Sure, it’s the kind of thing you could well imagine Frasier Crane cueing up on Christmas Eve, but only because it’s so impeccably crafted; this is holiday music at its most timeless.

ABBA, “Little Things”

ABBA, “Little Things”

Speaking of timeless, how on earth did it take ABBA until now to release a Christmas song It seems impossible that the Swedish greats managed to go nearly their entire career without releasing the requisite holiday track, but with the release of reunion album Voyager, the quartet has finally rectified that issue. “Little Things” manages to sound both like ABBA and an old-school children’s carol—especially when a chorus of kids’ voices come in for the final section of the number.

Pistol Annies, “Snow Globe”

Pistol Annies, “Snow Globe”

You might expect a holiday single from Pistol Annies—the country music supergroup comprised of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley—to be a rousing honky-tonk number or twang-filled torch song. (Especially given the name of the trio’s new Christmas album: Hell Of A Holiday.) Which is why it’s such an unexpected treat when “Snow Globe” kicks in—hand claps, “ba ba ba”s, and a soaring organ make this more reminiscent of ’60s girl-group pop, albeit with a delightfully early-’80s sax solo thrown in for good yuletide measure.

Brian Fallon, “Virgin Mary Had One Son”

Brian Fallon, “Virgin Mary Had One Son”

The gentle finger-picking guitar groove that powers Brian Fallon’s “Virgin Mary Had One Son,” immediately lets you know this will be a slightly rawer, more intense version of Christmas music. The ex-Gaslight Anthem singer reworks the religious-minded track away from the elegant beauty of the Joan Baez version, steering it instead towards a form of barroom Americana that allows Fallon to better showcase his whiskey-and-honey croon (a trick he pulls off repeatedly on his new album of hymns, Night Divine). It’s the kind of thing you could easily imagine Johnny Cash and Rick Rubin hearing during their American Recordings sessions and thinking, “Damn, we should’ve done that.”

Logan Lynn, “It’s Christmas, Motherfuckers!”

Logan Lynn, “It’s Christmas, Motherfuckers!”

One of these things is not like the others! For those who have always heard Christmas music and thought there wasn’t nearly enough brooding, New Order-meets-Depeche Mode emanating from the speakers, Logan Lynn is here to put things right. “It’s Christmas, Motherfuckers!” is musically only a half step away from the “Sweet Dreams” of the world, bringing glam groove to the yuletide season. “This year, we place the body bags under the tree,” he sings, and anyone who is dreading the annual bacchanal of presents and lights can rest easy, knowing they’ve found a like-minded soundtrack.

Norah Jones, “Christmas Don’t Be Late”

Norah Jones, “Christmas Don’t Be Late”

God bless Norah Jones. While others on this list are out there trying to rework the holiday jingles into something bold and new, she’s just nestled away in the studio, doing the good work of reclaiming old standards from the ignoble clutches of the Chipmunks. In her supple, jazz-inflected version, she puts those mellifluous pipes to work transforming this stolid number into a swaying, swooning, and—dare we say—compelling iteration of “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” a song thought previously unsalvageable due to its stained reputation as an excuse for someone to yell “Alllllviiiiiiiin!” two-thirds of the way through it. The entirety of her new holiday album, I Dream Of Christmas, is like this; but even among those other great takes on Christmas standards, this one stands out for its impressive feat of reclamation.

Beach Bunny, “Christmas Caller”

Beach Bunny, “Christmas Caller”

Prefer a little more jangly guitar pop mixed in with your holiday music Beach Bunny has you covered. It may be a little jarring to go from, say, “Silent Night” to this new single from the Chicago-based group during your Christmas Eve festivities, but this one is a lot more fun. Adding more ethereal wonder to Beach Bunny’s usual whip-smart bounce, the track lets singer Lili Trifilio deliver a warm-sounding message of someone reaching out at the holidays—only to then contain a lyrical feint that dives straight into her arsenal of wanderlust and wondering, only all dressed up for the holiday season.

A Solar Opposites Song ft. Darren Criss, “WTF Is Christmas”

A Solar Opposites Song ft. Darren Criss, “WTF Is Christmas”

It wouldn’t be Christmas without someone busting out a dorky novelty song at some point. Thankfully, this year you can axe the wheezing stupidity of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” and replace it with this much more R-rated look at the season. Solar Opposites’ hapless leader, Korvo, finds himself stymied by the inexplicable traditions of the yuletide joy, and thus must turn to the dulcet tones of Darren Criss to help him pick up on the various symbols of the holiday. It’s simple, short, and catchy—which is pretty good for a song whose verses largely consist of a confused alien muttering, “What the fuck is Christmas” over and over again.

Black Pumas, “Christmas Really Will Be Christmas”

Black Pumas, “Christmas Really Will Be Christmas”

It’s been a while since someone managed to reinvigorate the Lou Rawls classic “Christmas Really Will Be Christmas,” but Black Pumas are clearly the right ones for the holly-jolly job. The soul-funk groove gets an updated workout by the band, with some ace backing vocals lending a grand scope to singer Eric Burton’s smooth-yet-rasping drawl. It’s another of those tracks that will sound good in just about any Christmas-related event, yet hasn’t been played to death a million times yet, making it a solid bet for any playlist.

L.A. Exes, “My Favorite Time Of Year”

L.A. Exes, “My Favorite Time Of Year”

An endearingly excellent fusion of sunny Cali surf-pop and girl-group bop, L.A. Exes have managed to craft a Christmas tune that is earnest to a fault and yet still maintains a wry, winking tone that keeps it from ever feeling saccharine, even when the band is singing “jing-a-ling-a-ling” with joyous abandon. It’s so pure of intent, you can’t help but nod along in easy familiarity, any defenses weakened by the band’s good cheer. Upbeat and energetic, “My Favorite Time Of Year” is probably only days away from being selected as the opening song to the next big Hollywood Christmas movie. Plus, hell yeah, it’s our favorite time of year.

Bad Bad Hats, “Sally Sweet Tooth”

Bad Bad Hats, “Sally Sweet Tooth”

At first, it feels like this song is musically indistinguishable from your average superb Bad Bad Hats track. The sweet but angular guitar riffing, the simple rhythm section bounce, singer Kerry Alexander’s signature sing-song…but then the bells start jingling, and Alexander is asking, “Hey Santa, could you do something sweet” Before you know it, “Sally Sweet Tooth” sounds like the musical equivalent of snow falling as you open presents—an effervescent yet seasonally appropriate amble, ready to soundtrack your journey to the Christmas tree stocked with gifts under its ornament-heavy branches. Ho Ho Ho.