Joy to the world! It’s the return of our favourite festive tradition, the Joyzine Advent Calendar, back for its 22nd consecutive edition, which as far as we’re aware makes it the longest running on the net.
As always, every track is completely free to download and we don’t require you to sign up for a mailing list (though you can if you want to) or hand over your personal data – it’s our way of saying thank you to everyone who’s visited the site during 2025 and to hopefully bring a few more listeners to some very deserving artists.
However, if you do enjoy the tracks we would love you to consider making a donation to our chosen cause, which this year is HOPE not hate, and their sterling work researching, campaigning, and supporting communities to build HOPE and oppose far-right extremism. You can make a donation here.
We’ve reached day 13 on the Joyzine Advent Calendar, which (except in the many instances when we’ve not got our act together on time) is traditionally the day we unveil our own Christmas ditty, and this year the team have chosen to take on The Kinks’ 1977 tune ‘Father Christmas’ – we hope you enjoy it. Scroll down a little further and you’ll find three more tracks from bands featuring a member of the team: Gift Box, Skink and Adam & Elvis.
I caught up with myself for a festive q&a session:
Tell us a little bit about your track please
This year’s festive offer is our take on The Kinks’ ‘Father Christmas’ – the original packs in humour, massive guitars and a social message and I hope we’ve done it justice. Massive thanks to Joyzine Deputy Editor Paul F Cook for pulling all of this together, and to Toby, Aitch and Mansell for adding their talents into the mix. I’m also on it.
Mansell – Bass
Aitch – Bass / Bells / Vocals
Toby – Vocals / guitar
Paul Maps – Vocals
Baron Von Paul F Cook – Guitar / Vocals / Keyboards / Drum programming / production
What have you been up to in 2025?
The same thing we do every year – shouting about the music and culture that we love in the hope that it might reach a few more ears and eyeballs as a result. Oh, and putting together the internet’s longest running musical advent calendar for the 22nd year in a row.
A personal highlight was interviewing Falco from mclusky about their comeback album, which given that a track from their first album was the spark that inspired the name for the website you’re currently reading was a wonderful thing indeed.
And what are your plans for next year?
To keep on shouting about the music and culture that we love in the hope that it might reach even more ears and eyeballs as a result. Oh, and putting together the internet’s longest running musical advent calendar for the 23rd year in a row. If you fancy joining us in this endeavour please get in touch.
What have been your musical highlights of the year from other bands/artists?
Now that would be telling – you’ll need to check back in early January for our ‘Things of 2025’ article.
Christmas: The most wonderful time of the year or a big bag of humbug?
Absolutely both. Wonderful = Great food, spending time with loved ones, lots of sparkly stuff, watching It’s a Wonderful Life and of course The Joyzine Advent Calendar. Humbug = the rampant consumer fest it has become and the terrible waste and inequality that entails.
Stream and download ‘Father Christmas’ below
Make a donation to HOPE not hate
Next up from Team Joyzine it’s Neil Laurenson and his festively named project Gift Box, who are offering up their track ‘Autumn’, the title of which is seasonal in a way – just a different season. Either way, this is a gentle piano-led slice of loveliness with a message to go with it which I’ll let Neil explain below.
In addition to his contributions to Joyzine and creating his own music, Neil is also working on a poetry collection with Antony Owen called Rain Men, which is inspired by their late autism diagnoses. It’ll be published by Knives Forks and Spoons Press towards the end of next year.
Tell us a little bit about your track please:
‘Autumn’ is based on a chord progression from a Mitski track, the name of which I have forgotten. The lyrics are mostly comments in response to an autism video (i.e. I nicked them as well). I started writing songs under the ‘Gift Box’ moniker during lockdown, partly to entertain my kids.
What have you been up to in 2025?
Mainly writing music reviews and making weekly autism videos. I also wrote my first ever rap, which is about pigeons (Feral Boffin – ‘Pigeons’).
And what are your plans for next year?
More music reviews, more videos, and hopefully more songs. I’d also like to have a go at stand-up poetry again.
What have been your musical highlights of the year from other bands/artists?
I have really enjoyed Great Grandpa’s album Patience, Moonbeam. I have also loved new albums by Snooper, Mareux, and Big Thief, to name just a few. My daughter introduced me to Adrienne Lenker (I realise I’ve been missing out for years). The algorithm introduced me to Searows, and Worcester Music Festival introduced me to Heavy Peace, who make Deftones sound like Nick Drake. I want the world to know about My Mercury, who are more than filling the hole left by Noah and the Whale.
Christmas: The most wonderful time of the year or a big bag of humbug? Why?
Christmas is landfill but it’s also my gran’s cooking. It’s a fake plastic tree but it’s also Klaus – my favourite film. Zara Larsson also released a great album this year, and when her song ‘Invisible’ starts in Klaus, I blub for Britain without imbibing any brandy. Natural tears – that’s the spirit of Christmas, isn’t it?
Stream and download ‘Autumn’ below
Make a donation to HOPE not hate
Neil Laurenson: Youtube / Poetry & Blog / Soundcloud / Autism Videos
Joyzine’s farthest flung correspondent by some margin is Mansell Laidler, who send his articles from Canberra, Australia (ah the wonders of modern technology). Today he’s with us as one third of instrumental improvisation trio Skink, who’ve continued the vaguely present-related theme of today’s calendar by providing their recent single ‘Parting Gift’ – it’s out on all the usual streaming places, and you access it on them all via this handy link.
Tell us a little bit about your track please
‘Parting Gift’ was recorded at ANU Studios with Matt Barnes, capturing the gentle chemistry of Skink, an instrumental improvisation trio from Canberra. The track drifts through moments of calm and quiet intensity, built from spontaneous interaction and deep listening between the players. It feels like a reflection — spacious, emotional, and unhurried.
What have you been up to in 2025?
It’s been a big year for Skink, with each of us diving into a variety of projects across Canberra’s vibrant music scene. Hayden has been performing regularly with Australian folk artist Fred Smith, as well as with Kopasetic, Kim Yang, Last Call, and The Dalmatians. Naomi has been busy behind the kit with Kopasetic, The Dalmatians, and Last Call, while Mansell has been performing with Last Call and The Dalmatians, alongside his solo electronic project Chronic Bass.
It’s been a full and creative year, and as 2026 approaches, we’re excited to bring the focus back to Skink — continuing our explorations in ambient improvisation — and to our soul/blues/R&B band Last Call.
And what are your plans for next year?
In 2026, Skink will be taking our music on the road, promoting and performing around Australia in support of our upcoming album Liminoid, set for release in early 2026. We’re looking forward to sharing these new sounds with audiences across the country, alongside performances with our other project, Last Call. It’s shaping up to be an exciting year of connection, creativity, and live music.
What have been your musical highlights of the year from other bands/artists?
Joyzine has exposed us to a range of really interesting music. My particular favourites have been Glut by the Scaramanga Six, Alreet? By Edvard Graham Lewis and Tracked in Mud by Cassels. I particularly liked how Scaramanga Six used AI in a creative way to craft a really cool video. With all the fear of AI, it was refreshing to see what creative people can do with it.
Christmas: The most wonderful time of the year or a big bag of humbug? Why?
Christmas is awesome. We are in Australia- so its Summer and the holiday season. It’s fantastic!
Stream and download ‘Parting Gift’ below
Make a donation to HOPE not hate
Our final Advent Calendar treat for today comes in the festive form of Adam & Elvis’ Christmas single ‘We Know You Will’, the fourth tune in their seasonal canon. The band were formed by two brothers, neither of whom are called Adam or Elvis, but one of whom is Joyzine writer Patrick Malone and their track is a charming acoustic story-song which follows our protagonist through a somewhat less than merry Christmas.
Tell us a little bit about your track please
‘We Know That You Will’ follows a guy trudging through Christmas cheer like it’s wet cement. His wife keeps telling him to lighten up, so naturally he does the opposite—cracking cold beers and taking moody night drives. It’s holiday spirit, just slightly dented.
What have you been up to in 2025?
In 2025, Adam & Elvis have put out their live-recorded album Live From the Deserts of Tripolitania, capturing their desert sessions in full. Right now, they’re back in the mixer, working on a brand-new live album — clearly still pushing themselves. They’ve said they’re taking cues from ambitious bands like How to Swim, who are on a big, goal-driven recording spree.
And what are your plans for next year?
Releasing two or maybe three new albums and playing some gigs.
What have been your musical highlights of the year from other bands/artists?
Enjoyed the Golden Dregs album and seeing CMAT live was fun.
Christmas: The most wonderful time of the year or a big bag of humbug? Why?
Love Christmas. Food and booze are wonderful and sometimes company is nice too.
Stream and download ‘You Know You Will’ below
Make a donation to HOPE not hate
Adam & Elvis: Facebook / Bandcamp
1: Piney Gir & Parenthesis Dot Dot Dot
2: Syd Howells
3: The Happy Hollow
4: Stephen Evens
5: Ombudsmen
6: The Scaramanga Six
7: Dextro + Rubber Oh
8: Craig Fortnam
9: Salt The Snail
10: Cerys Hafana
11: bis x Art Brut
12: Gemma Rogers
Check back tomorrow for another free festive download!
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