Today's Holiday Song of the Day, as chosen by Brian Foss, co-host of Sonic Reducer on KEXP, is "Christmas Number One" by Problem Patterns, a 2020 self-released single.
This week, we are continuing a long-held tradition of featuring Christmas-themed Songs of the Day, selected by Brian Foss, one of the hosts of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. He will be hosting his 20th annual Punk Rock Xmess on Saturday, December 23rd from 9 PM to midnight PT, and then tune in on Monday, December 25th from 7 AM - 4 PM PT, for No Standards Christmas. You won't hear a single "holiday standard," but instead get a mix of soul, rock, blues, hip-hop, and more!
Problem Patterns — self-described as Belfast's pre-eminent DIY feminist queerpunk quartet — released their highly-anticipated debut album back in October, titled Blouse Club. But today's Song of the Day takes us back to 2020, when they released this single during a tumultuous season. As they wrote at the time:
This year, many of us will be spending Christmas alone for the first time ever, and for a few of us, that is the norm. The holiday season can be an incredibly isolating time in general. We wrote this song in an effort to try and look on the bright side of an otherwise tough situation. For the video, we wanted to collaborate and connect with a few friendly faces. We may not be able to be together right now, but stay hopeful.
Whatever your plans are, we hope that you are safe and sound.
Sending love to anyone who needs it.
Merry Christmas,
Bev, Beth, Ciara and Alanah
xxxx