Thursday, 10 November 2022

Switchfoot - This Is Our Christmas Album


45 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy This Is Our Christmas here (Switchfoot store)

This Is Our Christmas album declare Switchfoot on their first ever holiday opus. The surfing rockers are celebrating 25 years in the industry and are finally ready to embrace the most wonderful time of the year with a selection of festive songs all performed in classic Switchfoot style. Across 12 tracks (well, 11 and a cheeky little interlude), they explore all facets of the season ensuring a well rounded album that balances fun alongside the deferrential reverence. Head on over to their online store and you'll see a whole host of associated merchandise that range from vinyl copies and tree decorations to mugs and snuggly hoodies. I'm more than happy to find the Full Send Christmas Bundle under my tree thank you very much to you Santa Claus. For now, dive into the west coast rock vibes of a very Switchfoot Christmas and sample something a little different than your average Spotify playlist offers you...

California Christmas opens the album by painting a vivid picture of winter in the sun. Beach Boys inspired chords & harmonies and a classic style vocal on this mid-tempo chugger makes this feel both timely and timeless. It is sunny & breezy; just what you need to ward off the chill of wintry evenings. Looking for Christmas continues the blissful egg nog fro-yo vibe; the charming score feels like it has traversed the airwaves looking for a home with the insightful lyrics that Switchfoot have given it. The sense of (be)longing is delivered with heartfelt sincerity that helps this shine like the brightest star on the tree. Christmas Time Is Here builds on this introspective vibe - the shuffling percussion and guitar solo swathe Jon's vocal perfectly, a symbiotic approach that helps the woes of the world melt away, even if it is only for the length of time you are listening to the song...

Scrappy Little Christmas Tree is one of those songs that sounds exactly like you hoped it would - the story of the little tree that could has frenetic guitar, Little Saint Nick style harmonies and a hook so robust you can hang baubles on it. A real corker of a new Christmas classic. The first carol is actually two - a medley of Silent Night/It Came Upon A Midnight Clear. A lovely lilting piano accompanies the reverence of the lead vocal on Silent Night, whilst the introduction of percussion ushers in It Came Upon A Midnight Clear in such a seamless way that it is hard to imagine they weren't one fluid song to begin with. The carol concert continues with I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - it is a largely acoustic version with some liberties taken with the melody that give it a mesmerising quality. And of course there are the requisite chimes infused into the song to exquisite effect.

Midlife Christmas is a poetic bit of writing that conveys how the magic of the season can slip away as you get older, no matter how hard you might try to hold on it. The sorrowful song has a smattering of hope embedded via the hopeful wish of "let it snow" that comes at the outro. Then, after a brief Interlude (Everybody Knows A Turkey)  (a live outtake of the line from The Christmas Song) it is onto - you guessed it - The Christmas Song! There is a relaxed aura to the song which helps you relax into the music; the lads savouring every note they play and cherishing every word they sing. That's the thing with Christmas albums - done well you can absolutely tell when the act is truly enjoying the process rather than it being a cash in opportunity. That is definitely the case here. 

The final trio of tracks commences with New Year's Day. Personally I love it when an act takes you all through the holiday season through to the possibilities provided by January 1st. Full of honest reflection with a hopeful message of positive change, the chorus feels like it has been inspired by the vaults of ABBA and Elton John (if we were ever so lucky to get such a collaboration). O Little Town Of Bethlehem takes the traditional arrangement and just lets the band do what they are best at - deliver an evocative version of an old favourite that is so serene and intimate that they could be singing it in your living room. The finale consists of Hometown Christmas (performed with Need to Breathe & Judah), an arms in the air anthem that will sound magnificent sung at their Christmas shows (or belted out by you in the car on the way to the mall/friends/family). Sparkling!

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