Kitsch. Cheesy. Camp. Three words you'd normally use to describe Christmas 'classics'.
But not this one.
Judging by the title, you'd probably think this won't be a particularly festive track. And in part, you'd be correct. Much like Last Christmas, the song equally mourns the past and looks forward to the future. As such it's actually rather uplifting - New Year being a time of fresh beginnings, new slates and resolutions. The lyrics thus include lines such as "Everywhere there's joy around this festive time of year/And happiness is never felt so far away" and "Everywhere the snow surrounds you/And melts your troubles away". It's the kind of oxymoronic song that will have you crying happy tears.
The production, however, is certainly festive with Christmas bells throughout and an anthemic chorus. But rather than selling out and cashing in for the holiday season, Hurts have stuck to their own sound with pulsating, tinkling synth, heavy drums and smooth strings in addition to the dreary/promising lyrics. It follows on from the excellent Wonderful Life and Stay - with talent like this, Hurts should be around for years to come.
In short, it's the perfect match of Artist + Christmas, without the need for camp or capitalism.
4/5
This track is the iTunes single of the week - a perfect (and free!) present for your iPod.
