Monday, 22 December 2025

Iconique - Jubilation


3 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Stream Jubilation here (Spotify)

I love discovering new acts (to me) because of my adoration of all things Christmas music - particularly when they are clearly and queerly as fabulous as Los Angeles based disco-pop superstars Iconique. You can tell the decadent trio are iconic already because it is built into their name (with que for added zest and sparkle). I'm just catching up but their holiday EP, Jubilation, seems as good a place as any to start. It has all the ingredients that make a selection box of seasonal songs so special - a reverence for the Yuletide vibes, but delivered in a deliciouly over the top way that makes your spirits bright from those opulent first notes to the delectably emotive finale. Jingle those bells because your winter just got a lot more joyful and triumphant!
  • Carol of the Bells/Jubilation~ the well known carol comes in like the Ghost of Christmas Past sneaking into your bedroom as the bell tolls one (hope he's fit). There is a haunting drama to it with the hammond organ seemingly possessed, whilst an opulent score of thrusting guitars, pounding drums and cascading keyboards all work together. In symbiotic partnership they create a lavish wall of sound that weave together elements of glam-rock and theatre with enough pomp and circumstance to power an army of Nutcrackers all through to New Year's Day. It's an exhilarating start to the Jubilation experience...
  • Snow On The Dance Floor ~ then it's straight to the club where you throw off your knitted Christmas sweater to reveal a form fitting t-shirt that will make the Yuletide gay. There are disco rhythms and undulating grooves that command you to grab the one you love and shimmy. Hard. There's an intrigue to the bubbling undercurrent of the verses, sung with dynamic enthusiasm, while the chorus is as twinkling and hypnotic as the lights as the most ornate lights on the most marvellous tree. Take the metaphorical lyrics as you will - whatever the message, you can still get as high as the notes sung through the pure pop confection of this gem.
  • Only Christmas (Could Ever Hurt Like This) ~ this is a perky pop romp that is a musical juxtaposition to the heartbreak of the lyrics. And isn't that part of the Christmas experience - the sadness that comes along the happy merry ho ho ho all around? Chiming bells bounce off the crunchy guitars while a choir of angels elevate the titular refrain to celestial new levels. The words paint a kaleidoscope world, bought to life through an expressive singing style that embraces melancholy, resignation and wry acceptance all at once. Sing not because it will change the past, but because it will make you feel a lot better about tomorrow.
  • O Holy Night (Cantique du Noel) ~ I was intrigued to see what an Iconique O Holy Night would be like. What it match the intensity of my favourite versions by Tevin Campbell and Mariah Carey? The answer is yes, but in unexpected ways. With a stunning piano accompaniment and some flourishes to the top line melody, this ebbs and flows in all the right places but Jesus Christ when it crescendos it does so with such vivid intensity, it is as if time itself pauses in wonder. Piano and voice don't need to belt it to the rafters; rather the way Leo Paparella infuses his singing with such focused power takes this beyond seventh heaven to cloud nine. It is genuinely a jaw dropping masterclass.
  • Don't Lose Your Faith In Christmas Day ~ this finger click ballad is a less treacly We Are The World for a new generation. With lyrics all about the weariness of a blue Christmas (and let's face it, the world's in a right chuffing state right now), it becomes an aural hug of a song - one to seek solace in when it all gets a bit much. Did a bell ring because I think Iconique just got their wings - not least for the huge Haus of Gospel style choir but also for the soaring way the song transitions from the middle 8 to one final run through of that stirring chorus. Now that is pure Jubilation - a finale to leave you merry and bright!
**Ghosts of Christmas past**
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