Call me Scrooge, but aside from a few choice exceptions, all Christmas songs are crap.
All the classics (Fairytale of New York, The Snowman) are played to death, and it goes without saying that the majority of modern festive tracks reek of tediously forced commercialization. However, every year there are always a handful of a tracks that choose to focus on the more spiritual elements of Christmas, such as tear-jerking memories and intimate relationships.
This new cut from Lakeland’s The Lulls In Traffic does entirely that, although you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise when reading the lyrics to the first verse – ‘Well here comes my Santa on his way. I know that he has something beautiful for me somewhere on his sleigh. I was pretty good this year, at least I tried.’ Yeah, I know what you’re thinking; ouch. Luckily, it doesn’t dwell on those issues for long, and instead morphs into a remorseful ballad, that anyone alone at this time of year can relate to. After the much improved chorus, a minimal, hip-hop beat kicks in, with the other half of The Lulls In Traffic taking over; not the slickest rap verse you’ll ever hear but it’s grounded in real life emotions, proving vitally important to the general feel of the track. Check out Silver Bells Are Ringing Only Grey below, and download it if you fancy.