El Drifte’s two-song holiday drop, released as Holiday Songs earlier this November, is a short, smart one-two that showcases both the goofy, party-ready side of seasonal music and the quieter, ache-filled tradition of holiday ballads.
The pairing feels deliberate: an inclusive, rollicking opener that invites everyone in, followed by a tender elegy for absence that refuses to sentimentalize grief. Together they make a tiny, well-rounded holiday single that sits naturally in El Drifte’s wheelhouse of country/honky-tonk songwriting.
“Here the Holidays Is” is a singalong, communal country-pop number with a vintage sheen that is built around a deceptively simple, inclusive lyric concept: the holiday as a communal, non-judgmental party. The phrasing is conversational, the hooks immediate, and the chorus lines are made for you to sing along to.
STREAMING:
VIDEO (for track 1 “Here the Holidays Is”):
VIDEO (for track 2 ” This Year (Wishing You Were Still Here”:
“This Year (Wishing You Were Still Here)” is a slowly unfolding piano ballad that recalls classic seasonal standards that find meaning in longing rather than revelry. It’s the songwriting flip side to the previous number, with a classic and circular melody that gives the lyric space to breathe. It anchors feelings in concrete details like the empty chair, so the sadness feels earned and specific.
Both songs were recorded at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville and were recorded and mixed by Jeremy Bernstein. The production on both tracks is clean, organic, and tasteful; taking a classicist tone without sounding antique.
El Drifte’s two holiday singles are smartly conceived and well executed. One festive, inclusive anthem with a catchy chorus and bright, old-timey production is put together with its emotional counterweight: an empathetic, well-crafted ballad about loss and memory. Together they make for a compact holiday release that both longtime fans and casual holiday-playlist listeners can enjoy.
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