It’s that time of year again when everyone’s favourite ‘Corporate Indie Band’ remind us that Christmas isn’t just about consumerism… well kind of…
For the last three years, Swansea Sound, made up of Indie Legends – Fletcher, Williams, Button, Collins and Pursey – have released a Yuletide single, and they’ve done it again this year, with two new songs. BUT! Unlike previous seasonal offerings, which have manifested as CDs inside greetings cards, this year, the new tracks are presented on vinyl along with the previous six songs, creating a perfect soundtrack for anyone hoping for a sad and angry Christmas.
The collection, entitled All Is Calm is available as a limited 12” hand-stamped vinyl LP with Swansea Sound balloons and party hat, cracker jokes about other bands, a ‘carol service’ lyric sheet and a signed greetings card exclusivily available from the Skep Wax online store, on Bandcamp or from Rough Trade Records
The new songs… Not My Order is about the neurosis and existential angst that are the inevitable results of last-minute online shopping, whilst Click It And Pay (Walking In The Air), a rewritten version of a song from the band’s acclaimed Twentieth Century album, continues the theme with desperate online consumer Hue Williams enjoying a duet with harassed warehouse fulfilment operative Amelia Fletcher. Hue orders a load of crap in a panicked frenzy; she struggles to pick the items he’s chosen and worries if she’ll be sanctioned by her managers!
Returning like the Ghost of Christmas Past, on Happy Christmas To Me, we all get to share the festive joy once more of the billionaires who own the warehouses and the social media platforms. On Santa Bail Me Out, we experience the optimistic dreams of someone who can’t afford to buy anything but knows a friendly load-shark in a jolly red coat. (I Wanna Wear A) Mirrored Hat Like Slade is genuinely festive, celebrating the hit song that still provides the best soundtrack to Christmas parties five decades after it was written. Dreamland is a tale of a trip to a really nasty Christmas theme park. The Life We Led is a heartfelt song about doomed nostalgia and bewilderment. The album is rounded off with a rollicking version of Cheap Trick’s Merry Christmas Darlings. The ‘party sequence’ at the end sees the return of everyones favourite oligarchs, as they trade corporate mission statements over glasses of wine…
Enjoy Christmas with Swansea Sound this year!
Swansea Sound are playing festive gigs in December:
19 Dec 2025: RAMSGATE Music Hall, with The Gentle Spring and Sassyhiya
20 Dec 2025: LONDON The Waiting Room, with The Gentle Spring and Railcard
In 2026 Swansea Sound will be playing the US and Canada, alongside Skep Wax labelmates Heavenly. All gig information can be found here
~
All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him via his LinkTree
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
Leave a Reply