So we reach the end of another spectacular Joyzine Advent Calendar, albeit somewhat later than originally planned. By the end of today’s post we’ll have offered up 44 free tracks from friends old and new, and hopefully you’ll have discovered a few new favourite bands to take with you into 2025 – if you missed any there’s a full list at the bottom of the page.
As with all of out songs this year, if you enjoy them we’d love you to consider supporting the excellent work of First Timers Fest in creating opportunities for people from under-represented backgrounds to learn an instrument, form a band, write some songs and get onstage, by making a donation here.
We’re going out with a bang courtesy of two Liverpool-based independent labels, 9×9 Records and Society of Losers, who have aligned to pool their resources for a series of joint releases. Between them they’ve provided us with four prime cuts from artists on their roster for you to download today.
Formed in 2019 as a sister label to local music store 81 Renshaw and inspired by DIY principles, 9×9 Records puts out brand new releases, carefully selected reissues and the occasional ‘lost’ release. We first came across Society of Losers when we were blown away by Cheshire post-hardcore nutters Salt The Snail at Portals festival in 2019 and discovered a line-up stacked with talent from Liverpool and its surrounding area.
Fronted by former Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster singer Guy McKnight, gothic alt-pop trio The DSM IV have been on our radar for some time, including an outstanding performance at one of our online Balcony Festival shows back in 2019. Their new EP, NEGATIVE UTOPIA, is due out on 9×9 Records on 31st January, and follows their debut LP New Age Paranoia, from which today’s track ‘White Wolf’ is taken.
We asked the band about the track and their plans for the new year:
Tell us a little about your track please
White Wolf emerges in those moments of letting go when you’re making & listening to music. It’s the flight of fancy…or the unspoken communication that occurs between people when we allow ourselves to just BE by letting go of fear & control & worrying what others think of us. It’s an ode to the imagination. The white wolf is symbolic of the freedom anyone can experience in naturally occurring altered states of mind that engaging with music & creativity can give to us…it’s mystic.
What have you been up to in 2024?
We’ve played some amazing shows to/with some totally engaged audiences who were committed to the cause. We played our first show in Ireland which was jam packed & very well received, which was an honour to say the least. Loadsa banging headline shows & also some precious opportunities supporting Big Joanie, Humanist, & ARXX. Shared some great moments with fellow humans & some cats & a dog. It’s still mind blowing to me when other people know the words to our songs & sing them back to us as we’re playing them. We’ve released an ethereal new music video for ‘White Wolf’ made by film maker & artist Paris Toxteth (watch it here).
And what do you have planned for the next 12 months?
New EP coming 31/01/25 called NEGATIVE UTOPIA. We’re rehearsing the tunes up for our FAMILY JEWELS Tour which kicks off in Manchester 29/01/25 (full dates and tickets here).
Christmas songs – love them or hate them? Why?
Our guitarist Jade Ormesher (my Misses) loves ‘Last Christmas’ by WHAM! I don’t think you can argue with that. Pavarotti, our blood brother, synth & drum machinist, is a dark horse. I suspect he listens to ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins whilst he’s eating his Christmas dinner. I don’t know why. It is what it is. I think ‘White Wolf’ could become an unorthodox Christmas hit. It’s cinematic in its capacity to transport you to realms galore! The imagination is great defence from the NWO 33 degree Masonic psy-op free Christmas cracker giveaway if you know what I’m saying? Nevermind…#dotheresearch 
Peace out. One luv. Stay paranoid.
Download ‘White Wolf‘
Make a donation to First Timers
The DSM IV: Facebook / Instagram
Horror rock anti-heroes Zombina & The Skeletones are one of very few bands that I’ve been writing about since before Joyzine existed – in fact their debut LP Taste the Blood of Zombina and the Skeletones was one of the first records I ever reviewed. This year they returned from beyond the grave with their first new album in 10 years, The Call of Zombina (released via 9×9). Today they’ve offered up ‘Snowflake’, surely the greatest Yeti themed garage pop song of all time, for your downloading delight.
Download ‘Snowflake‘
Make a donation to First Timers
Zombina & The Skeletones: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Three of the four bands from today’s calendar bonanza are established Joyzine faves, but one of the great things about running this calendar is the new bands that we’re introduced to, and one of this year’s highlights has been discovering new Society of Losers signings, art metal dance punk duo Lynskey, who today are sharing their track ‘You Got The Scatterbrain Perk’ from this year’s Here This Is for You EP.
Tell us a little about your track please
So at shows I say “this song is about walking into a room and forgetting why you went in there” which always gets a laugh and is definitely still true, but it’s more about noticing things about yourself, like ways you work, and figuring out how to help you get on with that.
More specifically, I get very distracted, I push myself really hard (to my own detriment), and I convince myself that when I burn out it’s actually a good thing (which it definitely isn’t). I’ve noticed those aspects of myself and this song is highlighting them, putting them in a different and positive light, and by doing that, I can work with it.
Lyrically, it a favourite of mine, and the recording I think has come out pretty much exactly how we had imagined it, which is rare indeed. It’s a very cathartic track, but then again, every track of ours is cathartic
What have you been up to in 2024?
Gosh, 2024 has been pretty mad for us, we played our first headline in February, we feuded with The Battery Farm at Snailmania IV (which is still our favourite show we’ve ever played), got signed to Society Of Losers because of that Snailmania match, and we’re putting out an EP which we’re incredibly proud of.
So yeah, loads and loads really when you look back on it. Played shows with some of our favourites in the scene as well as mates and it’s all been just really lovely! Couldn’t have asked for a better year for the band tbh.
And what do you have planned for the next 12 months?
We’ve got some fun stuff in the pipeline for next year honestly… li’l tour maybe, big show possibly, recording new stuff perhaps. It’s all a bit up in the air currently but we’re also just gonna keep on with what we’ve been doing this year, so like, some fun video stuff, playing shows we get offered, just keep on doing us y’know. It’s not stopped being fun yet so why stop having fun?
Christmas songs – love them or hate them?
Christmas songs can get to fuck, sleigh bells sound like shit, they’re all earworms and it’s a musically painful month. Not a fan.
Download ‘You Got The Scatterbrain Perk‘
Make a donation to First Timers
Lynskey: Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
And we end where we began – our first introduction to these two excellent imprints came from Salt The Snail, the Widnes post-hardcore band who pull of the incredibly difficult feat of being genuinely funny whilst also creating great music that rocks the fuck out – many have tried, most have failed. They’ve provided us with new track ‘Portman’ to round of this year’s calendar.
Tell us a little about your track please
The song is about your friends leaving town to go on and achieve bigger and better things and that desire you have for them to come back and save you from the mundanity, but ultimately knowing that you should strive for better yourself. It’s set against the backdrop of one of the greatest movies of all time, The Mighty Ducks 3, particularly the scene where Portman returns with the scholarship he has received to reunite The Bash Brothers and turn the game against the Varsity team on its head in dramatic fashion.
What have you been up to in 2024?
Other than creating the triumphant opera of music and wrestling that was SNAILMANIA IV, one of our proudest ever achievements, we’ve been cooking and creating.
And what do you have planned for the next 12 months?
We’ve got tons of new songs all recorded and ready to go and we can’t wait to share them. We’re just trying to put a plan together with our possessive manager Jack Bauer, the Lucky Cat
Christmas songs – love them or hate them? Why?
LOVE THEM! Everything about Christmas is glorious, who could begrudge an artist making their lives worth making a gaudy Christmas banger. Certainly not this guy.
Download ‘Portman‘
Make a donation to First Timers
Salt The Snail: Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
9×9 Records: Website / Facebook / Instagram
Society of Losers: Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Massive thanks to everyone who’s visited the calendar, we hope you’ve had fun and discovered a new favourite or two. It’s been emotional. I’m going for a lie down until December.
Catch up on all of this year’s Advent Calendar Tracks so far:
1: Piney Gir – Reindeer
2: Gabriel Minnikin – Said Information
3: LOUD WOMEN ft. Smallways, Butterknife, Daddy Issues, Witch Spit, R.U.B, Vipersnatch, Worm Girlz, Lady Lazarus and Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys
4: First Timers Fest ft. Gay Skeleton Club and Skutterfly
5: Goo Records ft. Jopy, The Stanford Family Band, Owners Club and The Roebucks
6: Dead Horse – Historic
7: Gemma Rogers – Never Have I Ever
8: Umarells – Closer
9: MJ Hibbett – Moshi Twistmas
10: The Indelicates – Mom Is Waking Up (acoustic)
11: The Fades – Caca (BBC 6Music Session)
12: West Midlands – Totally Killing The Community Clinic
13: Subliminal Girls – Mid-December
14: How To Swim – Soul One
15: Forming – You What
Festive Finale: Stuffed Foxes, One Big Family + Maps & Muir
Advent Extra: Prismatiqk – Hannah & Gabi
Advent Extra: Electric Pets – Stumblin’ In
Advent Extra: The Middle People – Hello John
Advent Extra: Art Trip & The Static Sound – Algorithms of Mass Destruction
Advent Extra: The Scaramanga Six – Vomit Clock
Advent Extra: Trapped Animal Records – Dear Pariah, Jeremy Tuplin + Sunday Driver
Advent Extra: Cruel Nature Records – Plan Pony + Yellow Belly
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