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Songs you need to hear is CBC Music’s weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks.
This week is dedicated to holiday music. Scroll down to find out what new songs our producers have on repeat.
Jingle Bells, Piqsiq
WATCH | The official audio for Piqsiq’s Jingle Bells:
Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay, a.k.a. Inuit throat-singing duo Piqsiq, have been releasing and reimagining Christmas songs since their 2019 EP, Quviasugvik: In Search of Harmony — and this year’s festive chapter is a haunting spin on Jingle Bells. The shake of bells still open the song, but Ayalik and Mackay take an abrupt turn by changing the key and using the melody instead of lyrics to tap into that hit of nostalgia. Their voices deliver layers of verses that are sombre yet enticing — the bells and faint, drone-like keys are the only flair of instruments. “It’s a jovial time for a lot of communities in the North. But there was also some Christian context that was confusing when mixed with our understanding of our colonial history. So it was hard to feel more than one way at once,” Mackay told Nunatsiaq News in 2019. Since then, she and Ayalik have been reclaiming Christmas songs one year at a time, and Jingle Bells is a special addition to the canon — a tone that would fit perfectly into a Tim Burton project, or a Christmas episode of the Addams Family TV show Wednesday. — Holly Gordon
Christmas Eve Can Kill You, Andy Shauf and Madi Diaz
WATCH | The official audio for Christmas Eve Can Kill You:
Andy Shauf and American folk singer Madi Diaz put a new spin on the Everly Brothers’ Christmas Eve Can Kill You for the Oh. What. Fun. soundtrack. The country swing of the original gets a more understated spin, as their voices gently intertwine in harmony. They embrace how the holidays can be a tough time for those who are isolated, singing: “Take pity on the stranger in the cold/ ’cause Christmas Eve can kill you/ when you’re trying to hitch a ride to anywhere.” Shauf’s signature clarinet softly punctuates the verses, acting as the perfect backdrop to Diaz’s crystalline vocals. Individually, Diaz and Shauf are songwriters who excavate emotions, pulling deep-rooted feelings out of listeners. And this cover is no exception: the melancholy air of the track is supported by their sympathetic delivery, eliciting a Grinch-sized heart swelling in even those who are wrapped in Christmas cheer. — Natalie Harmsen
Stay in This Moment, Logan Richard
WATCH | The lyric video for Stay in This Moment:
The hustle and bustle of this season can be all-consuming, whipping you into its frenzy until you find yourself exhausted and bereft by the time New Year’s hits. But Logan Richard wants to help ground you during the twinkle-light commotion, and his new Christmas song, Stay in the Moment, holds true to its appreciatively earnest title. “Headlights in the driveway/ I can’t believe it’s been a year/ by the fire, we’ll stay up late/ singing songs of yuletide cheer,” Richard sings, setting up the perfect holiday evening while a looped drumbeat and piano do the heavy nostalgic lifting. As the song fills out, a guitar punctuating the end of each following verse, Richard unspools his hopes for the season: “I want to stay in this moment with you/ dream the same way we used to.” It’s a wish we can all take to heart as things get busy — and one you’ll hear sung on the new season of Hallmark’s Mistletoe Murders, which you should probably slot into your holiday viewing. — HG
Where Are You Christmas?, Sacha
WATCH | The official audio for Where Are You Christmas?:
Sacha follows in the footsteps of Faith Hill and brings some country twang to her cover of Where Are You Christmas?, complete with bright pedal steel guitar. The song feels miles away from the version music fans likely remember from the Grinch soundtrack, with Sacha infusing new warmth and coziness into her take. “This song really speaks to change, loss and the ache of missing someone you love,” she shared in a press release. And she captures that heart pang beautifully: “If there is love in your heart and your mind/ you will feel like Christmas all the time, oh,” she sings, her vocals sounding vibrant. The search for light around the holidays can be ongoing for some, and Sacha perfectly articulates that it’s OK to feel sadness while pursuing comfort and Christmas glee. — NH
Heart of the Holidays, Tenille Townes
WATCH | The official video for Heart of the Holidays:
The cold weather begs for warmth and Tenille Townes is ready to deliver that in the form of her holiday original, Heart of the Holidays. “Peppermint kisses by the Yuletide flame/ stirring hot cocoa with some candy canes,” the Grande Prairie, Alta., artist sings, painting a picture so vivid you can almost smell the sweetness wafting through the air. “With Nat King Cole, we’ll dance the night away/ here in the heart of the holidays.” Leaning into a twinkling jazz sound, Townes’s voice is playful and light, dancing merrily around the cheerful guitar and sleigh bells. Heart of the Holidays bursts with so much love and kindness that it’ll guarantee to make your heart grow three sizes with just one listen. — Melody Lau
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