I don’t do Xmas songs…and thankfully I do not have to with acts like this resisting the urge to imbue their songs with the sort of rhyming couplets that marry ‘Santa Claus’ with ‘applause’.

If for no other reason than the following acts have avoided the Xmas schmaltz, please support your favourites with a few of your hard earned shekels or social media love. It’s the sort of kindness that Jesus (on his birthday) and indeed Santa Claus would applaud at Xmas.

Abe Anderson

Track: Pushing Me Under From: Seasick Lullaby (album) Label: self released Out:  Album out January 2021

Surf laden, jangle-gaze wrapped up with propulsive drum machines. It’s Motorama with the jangle turned on!!!

Kid Violet

Track: Be Happy From: Be Happy (single) Label: self released Out:  Now

The best of all things 80’s/90’s taking the jangled precision of the early Primal Scream sound and crashing into it with the Britpop muscle of The Verve sound.

Andronoids

Track: Wild From: S/T (album) Label: We Are Busy Bodies Out:  Now

For fans of the more muscular, distortion/reverb heavy jangle sound, that acts like Dehd and Guided By Voices excel in. Sweden’s Andronoids take a definitive and glorious detour away from the country’s usual ‘pretty’.

Sunny Summer Day

Track: Sunny Summer Day From: 夕暮れと月 (Dusk and Moon) (single) Label: Lisdia Records Out:  Now

Fluttering equidistant between twee and jangly indie-pop, this Indonesian act sweep typical South East Asian sweetness through the slightest of beautiful fuzz filters.

Mason McClurg

Track: Older Hour From: Older Hour (single) Label: Bendy Records Out:  Now

Take the more expansive lo-fi jangle rock of the Stoop Kid sound, wring it through the alt indie-folk register and add that perfect bit of isolated Harrison Whitford  production style and you are just about in the highly original ballpark of this brilliant bedroom pop act.

Dumb Whales

Track: Communication From: Communication (single) Label: self released Out:  Now

The jangliest Arctic Monkeys sound that you will ever hear. The perfect melody to bombast ratio from this Melbourne based act.

Subsonic Eye

Track: Fruitcake From: Nature of Things (album) Label: Middle Class Cigars Out:  Album out 15.01.21

Reminds me of the sweet n’ sour sound that Lucie Too excel at coursed through themore spindly The Feelies / Minutemen guitar angularity. The second of two singles from the forthcoming January 2021 album, both have set very high expectations of what is to come from this Singaporean 5-piece.

Drens

Track: M vs. D From: M vs. D (single) Label: Recycled Earth Music Out:  Album out 15.01.21

With the muscular, surf rock angularity of a Shopping type act, this Dortmund based German foursome, fight off 2020’s jangle-pop tendency towards winsome, with some true rock dynamism.

Dino DiMuro

Track: Snowy Egret Winter From: Snowy Egret Winter (single) Label: self released Out:  Now

The sort of William Tyler, jangled instrumental guitarmanship, that should accompany every moment of perfect solitude. 

JustMakeMeCry

Track: HMU L8R From: HMU L8R (single) Label: self released Out:  Now

Juxtaposing 70’s pop machinations, through both fuzz/power-pop filters, this act describe themselves as ‘Dweebpop’ which may be self-deprecating to them, but ernestly cool to so many others !!! 

Tasty Pocket

Track: Trouble From: Razor (EP) Label: self released Out:  Now

Fluttering, introspective shoegaze, that bursts into chiming, jangled, surf rock riffs. Perfectly reminiscent of the sound of the current Kansas City urban surf rock vibe.

Placeholder Confidential

Track: Abby by the Sea From: Summer or Bummer (EP) Label: self released Out:  Album out January 2021

Imagine a glorious mix of Pavement, The Feelies and surf rock climes…well don’t imagine anymore, New Jersey’s Orry Placeholder is here to tantalise both your left field and alt.jangle tastebuds simultaneously.

The Notwist

Track: Sans Soleil From: Vertigo Days (EP) Label: Morr Music Out:  Album out 29 January 2021

Somewhere equidistant between the alternative melodies of a Naive Set style act and the Ariel Pink sound at his more precious lo-fi best,  Germany’s The Notwist’ first album in seven years sees them excel in a new melancholy-pop deliberations.

Max and the Martians

Track: All The Same From: All the Same (album) Label: Perpetual Doom Productions Out:  Album out March 2021

A strange, but beguiling mix of slight fuzzy Neutral Milk Hotel strains and The Velvet Underground left field. Orleans based  Max Bien-Kahn does Parker Longbough style alt.jangle with the very best of lo-fi intentions! 

Worse in Person

Track: Mouth Breather From: My Hobbies Suck (EP) Label: self released Out:  Now

Jangly strains that somehow find the perfect mix between lo-fi and ramshackle rock. Altogether an aesthetic that has that has endearing warmth to of ‘never trying too hard / take itself too seriously’.

Holodais

Track: Kitchen Song From: Built To Break (EP) Label: self released Out:  Now

Impossibly and perfectly weird, this Canadian duo weld psyche, jangled Wire style riffs and electro into a compelling mash of sounds.