This is a pretty impressive coincidence right here. Both RVA pop-punkers Broadside, and Sleepwalkers, the latest group from former Duchess Of York leaders Michael and Austin York, released Christmas singles this week, and in some kind of cosmic synchronicity, both singles are entitled “Wish List.” So which is better? Let the RVA holiday-song battle begin!
This is a pretty impressive coincidence right here. Both RVA pop-punkers Broadside, and Sleepwalkers, the latest group from former Duchess Of York leaders Michael and Austin York, released Christmas singles this week, and in some kind of cosmic synchronicity, both singles are entitled “Wish List.” So which is better? Let the RVA holiday-song battle begin!
First up, we have Sleepwalkers, who have made occasional live appearances around town but mostly kept a low profile over the past year or so. Their “Wish List” is a cozy power-pop number that equally evokes Weezer and The Beach Boys, perhaps with some Beatles and Fountains Of Wayne touches in there. The shaking of sleigh bells, a time-honored tradition on Christmas rock songs, is definitely a part of this track, and there’s a pretty delightful guitar solo from “J. Shank” (is that a pseudonym? It looks like a pseudonym) to go with Michael York’s lovely vocals. Lyrically, this is a love song, but that doesn’t stop York from throwing in some sardonic lines about typical holiday-related stress: “All mommy wants for Christmas is for daddy to shut up and listen. (Shut up and) listen to Sleepwalkers’ “Wish List” below:
For round two, we have Broadside doing a catchy pop-punk ballad with some callouts to the band’s personal history in the RVA scene (“I remember when I saw you first–Alleykatz, December 21st”). Just like Sleepwalkers’ “Wish List,” the Broadside version is clearly about love, but instead of talking about the whole family at Christmas time, these guys are focusing directly on the relationship–which, true to pop-punk form, is falling apart. On the chorus, singer Ollie goes for a direct callback to holiday classic “Last Christmas” by Wham!, modifying that song’s chorus but singing the altered words to the original tune: “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart–I played it on a mixtape as we drove in your car.” Man, if that isn’t pop-punk love, I don’t know what is. But this song isn’t all lovelorn melancholy–the lyrics betray a tongue-in-cheek sensibility from the first line: “Mama’s telling me to slow my roll.” The dual-vocal crescendo at the end of the song, though, is the real reason for the season–as the band doubles the tempo to get the kids dancing, the other members of Broadside join in on vocals, repeating the line “You’re dying to know if you ruined Christmas,” even as Ollie continues to sing the “Last Christmas” chorus overtop. If the dudes from Taking Back Sunday ever hear Broadside’s “Wish List,” they’re gonna be so mad they didn’t have this idea first. Check it out below:
We think both of these tracks are great, but which of the two new RVA “Wish List” Christmas tunes is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
