Of Christmas, The Memories (Gnar Tapes)

Haven't encountered these folks before, they're from LA by way of Portland OR, and this 2025 holiday entry is lo-fi indie rock and synth-pop, entertaining and a bit snarky. Most of this album is original, though they've sprinkled it with Christmas classics that they dispense with in less than two minutes, sometimes less than one. These include "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Deck the Halls," a nicely rocked-up "Silent Night," and "Joy to the World." Among the originals are the Cars-like "Santa Bring Me Some Toys," a garage-band-like "What Do You Want For Christmas," the almost soulful ballad "Egg Nog," the medium shuffle "Christmas Time Once Again," an almost punky "Give It To Me Santa," the hip-hop-adjacent "Naughty List," and two Velvets-like tunes, the ballad "Winter's Joy," and the uptempo "Puttin' the Tinsel Up." This is cool stuff, and at least for now is only available at Bandcamp.