Mistletunes

The perennial Christmas punks are back in 2025 with a cover of Eric Idle's anti-Xmas carol. It was funny when it was just him and a guitar, and it's still funny with these guys thrashing it out all 1977-style for us. Appears to only be on their Bandcamp page.

Kansas City, MO-based Chase has been around for a while and for 2025 dreamed up this cool little pop-rocker with little bits of Phil Spector and Bruce Springsteen's sound mixed into a tune that also reminds of a more boisterous Father John Misty. Great stuff, and there are three different mixes of it included on the single. Downloads and streaming everywhere. 

Kylie's one of those British singing stars who, like Robbie Williams and The Darkness, have only managed the slightest visibility in the American music charts. This album originated in 2015 and has been retinseled for 2025 with three new tunes, the self-described "banger" "Hot In December," the uptempo "Office Party," and the ballad "This Time of Year." Kylie's usual sound is contemporary hit radio via early 90s dance music, but for the holiday crowd she willingly went old-school jazz-era pop on "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Santa Baby," "Let It Snow," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" in which she exhumes Frank Sinatra for a duet. (Of this latter item, from the original 2015 album, I'm really over this Duets of the Living Dead thing, especially since you can do something similar with AI nowadays.) The original album also featured modern originals like "100 Degrees" done with her sister Dannii, "White December," and "Christmas Isn't Christmas Till You Get Here." The modern stuff is clearly her forte and I'm happy to wave one or more of these into your playlists; the antique pop stuff is probably done better by others. Oh, almost forgot; if you buy the album from Amazon, it includes the 2015 tune "XMAS," which has remained exclusive to the merchant from that day to this. There are also endless remixes of this particular song available there as well.

It's the 30th anniversary of this DIY stalwart issuing their first Christmas song. For 2025 we get a rocked out number about a Santa Claus on the run. Cool stuff, free to download from their site (no streaming anywhere), and as always the whole 30 years worth of holiday music is there for your free download. Check it out.

Stereogum calls these guys "New York synth-punks," and I'll go along because I don't know any different. For 2025 they drop this deceptively bouncy ode to what appears to be an ending relationship but later appears to be an ending world. Guest vocal by Lulu Landolfi, who goes by "Lulu" in the credits, but I'm adding her last name so that no old people in the audience will wonder if it's the same person who sang "To Sir With Love." Streaming and downloads, you know the drill.

Just discovered this and I'm not sure whether it was intended as a holiday release, but given that it dropped just two days ago and is about a winter weather phenomenon, I'm going to allow it. This is a cool lo-fi indie ballad from a Baltimore-based trio with several recent releases to their credit. Streaming and downloads everywhere.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Mannheim Steamroller have become standard entertainment fare in the holiday season after 40 years or more recording and touring, so it's not surprising some other entity would come along to cover that slice of sonic territory. Enter Dynalectric Orchestra, a Montreal-based ensemble that has been around since at least 2019, and for 2025 has dropped an album, a separate EP with additional tunes, and a single, "Best Christmas Ever," covering the Christmas beat. This stuff is all solidly in the tradition established by the predecessor ensembles -- 70s classic rock with lots of metal-style guitar shredding backed by orchestras and synthesizers for the most massive possible sound. I've been on record as being not so excited about this particular sub-genre of rock music, but I'd never discourage anyone from checking it out for themselves. Their official website shows a quartet of middle-aged folks in period-correct rock star attire, though oddly the actual names of these people don't figure here. (I did find four names attached to their Bandcamp page.) And of course, pre-announcements of future tours and lots of swag for sale are there as well. All this is my roundabout way of getting to the payoff; Apple Music shows they released eight albums in calendar year 2025 and even more singles and EPs, leading to my suspicion that these guys, if not actually AI-generated entities ala Tilly Norwood, are definitely using the latest tools to bulk up their discography. Do with that what you wish; I'll give them credit for the quality of "Best Christmas Ever" as a cool midtempo rocker. Streaming and downloads everywhere.

We don't get enough dopey party records around the holidays, so here's one from the famed supermodel and influencer about a little girl at the South Pole who made ice cream out of snow and got the idea to deliver it around the world around Christmas, but the Claus-man didn't wanna share his franchise and flipped the script, leading him to the North Pole and fame. This is kind of a pop/hip-hop banger and you may have trouble following the storyline just by listening, but you won't care because you'll be dancing. Streaming and downloads, though People magazine showed a physical CD package.

Two decades on from their debut, The Darkness are still mining that 70s glam/hard rock sound, though their fandom is largely anchored to the UK and EU, as their earnest take on their inspirations has not gotten them much notice here in the USA. For 2025 they drop their third Christmas single (one and two here), a slow crunch hard rock ballad about two time-tested ways to celebrate the holiday. Streaming and downloads, natch.

Minnesota-based Kestner has been around for almost a decade, and for 2025 she dropped this cool midtempo ballad expressing good holiday wishes but with the possibility she's not having the same feeling going unspoken. Streaming and downloads.

Bernie was an original member of the Eagles, and some would say a valuable one, though he was turfed out in favor of Joe Walsh despite his versatility on various stringed instruments, vocals and songwriting. He's been a busy beaver as a solo artist if not particularly famous for his efforts, and for 2025 he dropped this single. It's billed as parts one and two, though it's actually two different versions of the same song. Part one is a song about the protracted preparation for the holidays in an arrangement that would fit seamlessly into an early Eagles setlist; part two is a more bombastic commercial arrangement, although this version would fit better with 70s Top 40 than a contemporary hit radio format. Anyway, both versions are fine and you can choose which one to go with on your own. Streaming and download.

The label name tipped me off that these guys might be from Philadelphia, and indeed they are. From listening to this 2025 release, you might think they're Tex-Mex, right down to the roller-rink organ. The title is the bell that rings on the "Christmas train," just so you know, although you'll be dancing and your partner will be too distracted to absorb this little factoid. Flip it over for "Christmas Struttin'," about walking down the street at Christmas time. A little slower and funkier but still a worthy holiday rocker. A little investigation reveals this is the third year in a row this band has dropped a holiday goodie for your musical stocking; 2024 gave us "Wanamaker's Christmas" and 2023's entry was "Christmas Fun." Streaming and downloads of course.

Zack is a Pittsburgh-based performer with a recent album and several singles out there in the stream, and for 2025 he covered the long-running country/rock classic in an arrangement that leans more toward a David Lynch soundtrack. If you haven't made room for this particular tune in your holiday playlists, Zack's version is worth having. Streaming and downloads where you do that sort of business.

Indiemono is what passes for a record label nowadays, less concerned with creating hardcopy audio products and more concerned with getting artists where the ears are, in other words, streaming and downloads. This 2025 collection is indie-pop-rock of a particular kind, kinda lo-fi chamber pop and rock, and the 10 selections are all original holiday tunes. "Ho Ho Ho (Ozempic)" by Scoobert Doobert is a bouncy tune about the jolly elf partaking of the weight-loss drug, "Forgiveness (Merry Christmas)" by I Don't Speak French is a cool rocking shuffle, "Pink Sparkling Wine (Merry X-Mas)" by garbagepink is the singer celebrating alone, "All I Need This Christmas" by High Tropics is the usual call for love set to a lilting rock beat, and "Christmas Eve" by ALIE is more of a folkie ode to the night before. "Eskimo Kiss" by Sandra Iris is a sweet ballad, almost Europop in execution, "Such a Glow" by Chinless Wonder is a jazzy shuffle about the holiday lights, "NY'S EVE" by Julia Collado Riu is a slow ode to the last day of the year, "Wrap Up All the Moments" by Laney Lynx and Carey Clayton is a breathy love song, and "Office Party" by pen pin is self-explanatory. Lots of great choices for your playlists, streaming and downloads everywhere.

Funky duo from Bristol, UK drops five jammin' tunes for 2025, starting with the instrumental "Flavors" and segueing into "Rudolph's Revenge," a kind of battle-rap song in which Santa's mascot goes after his fellow sleigh-pullers and Santa himself. Rounding out the EP are "It's Almost Here," a short number with Santa's best wishes over some borrowed James Brown riffs, "It's That Time of Year," a midtempo holiday rap, and "All I Want," more of a slow jam about Christmastime lust. Streaming services have this as a single with "Flavors" and "Rudolph's Revenge," so to get the full EP you'll have to visit them at Bandcamp.

Up-and-coming power poppers The Lemon Twigs teamed up with someone named Tchotchke for this 2025 holiday anthem about, well, getting tchotchkes as Christmas gifts. Not a lot to say, this song just dropped today and it's got all the elements that Twigs fans revere in their previous non-holiday recordings, enough so that the band should really pencil in a full Christmas album at their earliest convenience. Streaming and downloads everywhere.

Longtime reader and friend of the site Howard Cogswell is, like many of our readers, someone who has made a hobby out of the pursuit of unique Christmas music. Well, times have changed but Howard hasn't; where this site originated in a time where we encouraged each other to chase down rare tunes on CD, vinyl, cassette, 8-track, reel-to-reel tape or USB thumb drive, we've evolved past that to downloads, streaming, and now, rolling your own via artificial intelligence. Mistletunes previously flagged some folks doing this in uproarious and profane ways; in 2025, we now know someone who has gone whole hog in dialing up Christmas songs of his own. In an email, Howard says he looked for "fresh ideas that haven't been done before" like "Christmas Boat Parade" and even cooked up some characters of his own like "Rip Van Crinkle," the "Christmas Bumble Bee," and "Christmas Roller Coaster." One song he mentioned, "Coming Home For Christmas," was derived from an existing poem. In my travels through his discography, I found he hit a lot of familiar beats as well. The overall vibe of JingleNogg tunes is pretty pop-oriented, roughly 70s-style pop with orchestrations underpinned by soft rock rhythms, but there are a number of tunes in different genres as well. If there's anything that gives me pause, it's that he's dropped five full, lengthy albums of these tunes and a number of singles, all in 2025. I've linked to a single one of the albums on Amazon, but the whole JingleNogg discography is available there and on the other streaming services. 

I first encountered these guys as one of the entries in the Snowflake Christmas Singles Club a few years ago, and for 2025 they've dropped a short album/long EP including their cool indie-rock entry from that series, "Happy Christmas To Me," along with several other previously released holiday tunes and a couple new ones. Things kick off with the thrashy "Not My Order," a goof on using the internet to buy gifts; "(I Wanna Wear a) Mirrored Hat Like Slade" is a poppy Christmas wish tune calling back to 70s glam-rockers Slade; "The Life We Led" is a midtempo reflection on a couple's past together; "Santa Bail Me Out" is a nice rocker about holiday misadventures; "Dreamland" is a duet vocal about holiday celebrations; "Click It and Pay (Walking in the Air)" sounds like it's also about online shopping; and "Merry Christmas Darlings" is an overall loping holiday greeting not unlike the previously mentioned Slade, with yet another mention of online commerce. Streaming and downloads, but if you go to Bandcamp they'll sell you a vinyl version of the album.

This London band gives us a kinda shoegaze-pop-rock love song about the holiday for 2025. Don't know too much about them, but feel free to judge them by this fine release, up for downloads and streaming everywhere.

I'm not familiar with these guys, and though there are a number of holiday in stir records out there (and mentioned on this site), one more in a tasty midtempo blues arrangement is always welcome. It's new for 2025, as is another tune, "Hearts Christmas Blue," which features a duet vocal from Emma Wilson. For some reason they aren't paired together, but they're out there for downloads and streaming.

These guys were pop punkers more than 20 years ago, took a hiatus and now they're back. For 2025 they dropped this cool number full of stop-start dynamics celebrating the holiday. It's part of an EP, though the other two tunes aren't holiday oriented, but they're listenable nonetheless. Streaming and downloads everywhere.

Haven't encountered this St. Paul, MN group before, but this 2025 release definitely lives up to its name. It's all covers, but chosen for their melancholy vibe. "I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas" is the Aimee Mann song, "Christmas Eve Can Kill You" arrives via the Everly Brothers, "Christmas at Denny's" is the Randy Stonehill original, and "In the Bleak Midwinter" is the antique carol. Fingerpicked guitar, breathy vocals and the occasional use of drone instruments maintain the mood. Definitely worth their inclusion in your playlists. Oh, just to underline that I'm late to the party here, they did the same thing in 2015 with Vol. 1, including "Blue Spruce Needles," "Fairytale of New York," "The Lawson Family Murders" and "River." 

Don't know who these guys are, and the generic nature of their name makes search engines throw up all kinds of crap ads for crew-neck shirts and sweaters. I eventually discovered this is a bunch of Canadians in Chesterville, Ontario putting this 2025 album together in preparation for a holiday show in their home town. Highlights include two bluesy numbers, "Mexico Way" and "Christmastime Is On the Way," the pop-rocker "Eve of Christmas," the midtempo rocker "Cold Canadian Nights," the ballads "My Christmas Tree," "December Night" and "Peace This Christmas," a rocker called "Merry Christmas Mary Ann" with a lead vocal reminiscent of Neil Diamond, and a country number "But Santa I Can Explain." Classic carols here include "Good King Wenceslas," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Jingle Bells" and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas." The preponderance of ballads make this a little mellow for our purposes here, but there's a bumper crop of good original tunes on here that deserve notice. Streaming and downloads everywhere.

Cool, clattery pop-rocker for the 2025 Christmas season where the singers dodge conventional Christmas celebrations to head out for a party that's more, as the kids say, lit. Flip it over for "Yuletide Moon," a little less Christmasy, more impressionistic of a winter outdoors. Just noticed that these folks, Nashvillians by way of Boston, tag themselves as "psychedelic," whatever that may mean 60 years later, but it's cool rock 'n roll no matter what you call it. Streaming and downloads, apparently the B-side is only on Bandcamp.

Seaside, OR's finest offer three new songs for Christmas 2025 via their Bandcamp page. "I Love Christmas Time" is solid pop-garage rock expressing delight at holiday memories, "Festive Trip" is a modern take on "Jingle Bells" dashing through the snow, although the visions appear to be courtesy of a tea made of 'shrooms, and "Lonely This Christmas" is a cool cover of the 70s UK classic by the band Mud. Doesn't appear to be on the usual streaming outlets, although I did discover a 2020 single, "Harehills Christmas," and a song on their 2002 album To Get A Better Hold You've Got To Loosen Yr Grip called "Every Day Is Christmas With You." Those appear to be widely streamable.

The long-running Philly punk band is still active, and for 2025 they dropped this wild synth-pop number about a deranged character doing business as Santa Claus and invading people's homes. It's fairly entertaining, and for now it's only on their Bandcamp page.

Haven't encountered this act before, but for 2025 they dropped this Yoko Ono cover with a female vocal, and they jingle-bell the arrangement up, making it sound very commercial. The original was the B-side of the John & Yoko classic "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," and it's nice that it seems to be getting a second life of its own in recent years. Streaming and download where you do business.

Andemic is Andy Williams, once of Philadelphia and now of Los Angeles, and once vocalist of Lefty's Deceiver. This 2025 release is seven fairly lengthy songs, giving it the playing time of an LP, but we'll defer to the artist's judgment here. Overall, this is modern hard rock with some of the drone-ish components of industrial, but there's just enough pop sensibility to make this listenable to folks who don't normally seek this kind of music out. Two of the songs are covers, a thumping "Jingle Bells" with the carol's full set of lyrics, and a driving one-chord take on "I'll Be Home For Christmas." The rest are originals, kicking off with "Everyone's Always Sick Every Single Christmas," a clever observation set to a Morphine-like backing; "Wanamaker, Wanamaker," an ode to the defunct Philly department store's annual Christmas light show and organ recital; "Massapequa Park," celebrating the holiday outdoors; "War On Christmas" recalls the defeat of the Hessians on Christmas Day 1776; wrapping up with "(There's No Such Thing As) Christmas Cake," which notes that there's no one particular such pastry attached to the holiday. Check this out as a download or a stream.

Cool rock 'n roll, Underground Garage-ready tune for 2025. Don't know much about these guys except they've been around since roughly 2017, but they haven't had anything lately until now. Having trouble making out the lyrics, but apparently this is the British meaning of "got the sack," as in "fired." Why? It's a mystery, says the chorus. B-side is "Run Rudolph Run," a perfectly fine rendition of the Chuck Berry favorite. As of this writing, the only way you can get it is from their website, as I can't find it on Amazon, Spotify or Apple Music. UPDATE: David from the band says email them at santa@rockerati.com and ask for it free of charge.

The long-running British protest singer goes ultra-timely in 2025 with this broadside against right-wing xenophobia and fascism. It's directed against the UK's far-right agitator Tommy Robinson's hateful tirades against immigrants, but US audiences no doubt can substitute some names closer to home peddling the same messages. This is so fresh I don't see it on any of the usual services for sale or streaming, so here's the video.