Slow Xmas 5, various artists (Bone Sound)

We only got onto this particular bandwagon last year, but this ongoing compilation series of indie artists doing holiday tuneage has dropped a 2025 edition. Death Valley Girls offer the grungy synth anthem "Season of Dreaming," semiwestern's contribution is the thumping grinder "Merry Xmas Mary," Olivia Ellen Lloyd goes full country and western with "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," Shannon Lay's "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is folky and spacy in equal measures, Zach Cooper makes a Hanukkah move with the almost spaghetti-western instrumental "8 Candles," Nightlands sings a choral ballad about a "Christmas Moon," Heavenly Peace cranks up the old-school modular synths behind a rhythm section for "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells," brend_zombley goes contrarian on us with "Scrooge Good," Eric Slick gives us an 80s synth-pop slow-tempo "The First Noel," Serious Bob evokes an ethereal "Magical Christmas" and Meridian Brothers wrap things up with an authentically Latino "Lloro Sonriendo En Navidad."  Unique takes on the holiday, up for streaming and download.