New Music: The Crookes – You’re Just Like Christmas

Christmas may be over for another year, yet The Crookes have managed to keep that festive glow alight with their latest single ‘You’re Just Like Christmas’. It’s been a impressive year for the boys, as 2014 saw no less than 5 tours across the world, a new album, a handful of music videos and a couple of B-sides. It seems The Crookes will not rest until they are heard.

These Steel City heart-stealers are no stranger to Christmas songs: “12 Days of Crookesmas” is a common favourite amongst the first Crookes’ fans and 2011 saw the release of ‘It’s Just Not Christmas Without You‘, a melancholic song that places the burden of the festive period on (the absence of) a single person. It seems The Crookes have continued that theme with ‘You’re Just Like Christmas’, proclaiming how their love for the season depends on the company of a special someone.

The two Crookesmas songs may run along similar themes but the styles could not be more different; the former plays more on nostalgia whereas the new track offers a more wistful tone. The words “I want you to kiss me, though I’ve no mistletoe” describe a sentiment that many feel at this time of year, managing to be both hopeful and hopeless.

Forget Santa Claus – the music video was filmed along the boardwalk of Santa Cruz, where we see four red-faced Santas in the blazing sunshine. The song starts with a howl and a warning: “This video contains pop music and may produce a radical reaction in narrow-minded people.” It’s time to remove your prejudices and give this band a chance.

The track itself builds up the momentum with impressive guitars rifts and the predictable use of sleigh bells. There’s traces of hope thoughout the Christmas ballad; laughter can be heard through melodies and the tune will be stuck in your head long after the holidays are over.

Watch ‘You’re Just Like Christmas’ below: