It’s December, which round these parts means it’s time once again for The Joyzine Advent Calendar! This year we’re celebrating our 20th edition, so we’ve scoured the archives to mix in some calendar classics along with a few fresh festive cuts from our favourite artists.
As always every track on the calendar will be absolutely free to download, and we don’t force you to sign up for our mailing list (though you can if you want, here) or hand over all of your personal data. The calendar is our Christmas gift to the world (or at least the part of it that enjoys seasonal songs by obscure indie musicians), but if you’re also in the giving mood we’d love you to make a donation to our chosen cause, the excellent anti-racism charity HOPE not hate, which you can do here.
On with the free festive tunes!
With Joyzine celebrating our 20th birthday this year, there aren’t many bands still catching our ear that have been around since our early days but Modesty Blaise, the providers of today’s festive banger, make us look like wet behind the ears novices, having been at the rock & roll game since 1993. Described on their website as ‘The World’s Finest Pop Group’, they have three decades of tunes to back up the claim, including seasonal stomper ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’, which takes us back to the heyday of bizarrely costumed glam bands pumping out Christmas hits on Top of The Pops (there’s definitely a hint of Wizzard to that sax). You can watch the video here and download the track below.
We caught up with Jonny Collins to find out more.
What have you been up to this year?
We have a new single ready to go as soon as we do a video. Also in the middle of recording the single after that!
What have you got planned for 2024?
Release a single. Finish recording the next one – release that in the summer – that’s the plan anyway.
Tell us about your track
I’ll Be Home For Xmas is a perennial Xmas single. It’s got bells, children singing, saxophones, sleigh bells, just like Phil Spector would have done before he became a murderer. The protagonist is coming home for xmas but checking that he’s still wanted – he’s either been in jail or the army – who knows? We want you to all add it to your Xmas playlists and get it out every year – remember it’s always Xmas somewhere.
This year Joyzine has been celebrating our 20th birthday – what were you up to in 2003?
What were we doing in 2003? We’d just finished touring the award-winning Melancholia album and were exhausted. But we started to think of the next album, then it all fell apart. 2003 was a year of turmoil – please don’t make us think about it but congratulations to you.
Any new year’s resolution?
Learn something new every day, you never know when it might come in useful.
Download ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas‘
Make a donation to HOPE not hate
Find out more about Modesty Blaise on their official website and follow them on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bandcamp
Check back tomorrow for another free festive download!
Catch up on all of this year’s Advent Calendar Tracks so far:
1: MJ Hibbett – I Got You What You Want For Christmas
2: Matt Edible & The Obtuse Angels – Advent Beard
3: Old Man May – Laden Sleigh
4: Michael M (SLIME CITY) – It’s Easy To Hate This Time of Year
5: The Fades – Last Christmas (On The Beach)
6: AK/DK – Auld Lang Syne
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