Hi and welcome to (a belated) edition #8 of Alternative Motive! We are a monthly music newsletter focusing on today’s alternative music scene. If this email was forwarded to you and this is your jam, please click here to subscribe.

Tuned In

10 alt songs that deserve a spot on your holiday rotation
Yes, MCR’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is on this list

The holidays are here! Love or hate holiday music, it cannot be escaped the moment the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 1 (or the day after Thanksgiving or Nov. 1, depending on the enthusiasm of your local mall). While I’m a big advocate for all genres of holiday hits, I’m an alternative music fan to my core and my holiday playlist is proof. With that in mind, this month’s Tuned In story share’s 10 alt holiday songs and covers for Alternative Motive fans to check out.

Christmas On My Own – Picture Us Tiny: If you haven’t heard this song make its rounds on TikTok yet, now is the time to get on it. Released just last year, Picture Us Tiny has delivered a fresh anti-holiday song with early-2000s pop punk energy. “Christmas On My Own” has no problem holding it down among older emo holiday classics, making it a new staple.

Ordinary Christmas – State Champs: Coming in at just under two minutes, State Champs’ “Ordinary Christmas” is a quick hit. True to the band’s sound and energy, the song tells the story of Christmas losing its bright, cheery spark over the years.

December – Neck Deep: Check on the pop punk fans in your life the entire month of December. While not an official holiday song, you can guarantee to see this on at least a few pop punk listeners’ Instagram stories throughout the month. Try not to bring up that one winter breakup around them – it’s a sensitive time of year!

This Christmas (I’ll Burn It To The Ground) – Set It Off: Set It Off’s theatrical emo sound is at the forefront of their not-so-jolly Christmas song. “This Christmas (I’ll Burn It To The Ground)” is plain fun. Christmas haters will get a kick out of, while Christmas lovers can’t help but enjoy.

Christmas at 22 – The Wonder Years: It’s been over 10 years since its release, yet The Wonder Years’ “Christmas at 22” still holds up. Source: being a current 22-year-old. From stolen TV cable to diners you don’t know, the song captures the nuances of returning home for winter break and figuring out how you fit into your hometown after time away.

Oh Noel – I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME: I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a sad, holiday ballad on this list. In the true, haunting fashion of IDKHOW, the song tells the story of a lover reminiscing on holidays of the past. Starting with fond memories with a partner, before reflecting on losing touch with her, “Oh Noel” is the melancholy song of the season.

Ho Ho Hopefully – The Maine: Off their …And A Happy New Year EP is The Maine’s “Ho Ho Hopefully.” Neither a ballad nor an upbeat pop punk track, it’s a true middle ground holiday song, perfect for baking cookies or wrapping gifts. Complete with jingle bells in the background, it feels oh-so Christmas.

Holiday In Vegas – Young Culture: An honorary holiday song, and not just for its frequent use of the word “holiday.” Hear me out: the song tells the story of meeting somebody over the holiday season (picture New Year’s Eve). They are like “a glimpse of summer” in the midst of the cold winter. They make you want to “go to different places,” like spending the rest of your winter holiday in Vegas. Too much of a stretch?

12 Days Of A Pop-Punk Christmas – Jarrod Alonge: Are you even a pop punk fan if you didn’t have a Jarrod Alonge phase? No song truly captures a 2010s pop punk listener’s Christmas list quite like this parody. I’ll be waiting for my five large pizzas, four pairs of Vans, three Peace Teas, two snapback hats and a pair of skinny khakis under my tree.

All I Want for Christmas Is You – My Chemical Romance: Obviously!

Backstage

No lack of opportunity: Sam Hansell debuts Inopia
The London, Ont.-based musician’s album was built from a unique opportunity and grew through student collaboration

“Inopia.” The word means scarcity, need or lack, according to Latin dictionary site, Latdict. But London, Ont.-based musician, Sam Hansell, did not lack an audience at his Inopia debut album release show at the Poacher’s Arms pub on Oct. 19.

In a crowd of, what Hansell estimates, 140 people, phone flashlights turned on. Hansell stood on a small foot-tall stage, singing his original song “As The Moon Ran Free,” while brightly-lit hands swayed in the air before him. Combined with the red and blue stage lights of the venue, Hansell said he had a hard time seeing the audience. But he could hear them. Voices went two ways as members of the crowd sang along to his performance.

“It was quite exciting having everyone do that,” said Hansell. “Because it was the second single, people seemed to know the lyrics so that was kind of a surreal feeling that I hadn’t gotten at previous shows … It was astonishing.”

While Hansell is an experienced performer – his band, Superstar Crush, performed several shows last summer – Inopia is Hansell’s first solo album that he has performed live.

“There was a certain pressure of playing a show with my own name on it,” he said.

Hansell played the 10-track rock album in full. While not a rock opera, Hansell said he was intentional in how he ordered the album’s track list: he wanted the songs to work together recorded and live.

He describes Inopia as a “dark,” “nighttime” album, which explores the themes of conflict, escape, loss and death.

Any worries about releasing and playing his first solo project dissolved at the front of the Poacher’s Arms.

“Finally, being on stage to perform the album in its entirety, it was like, ‘Okay, I’ve done it.’”

Originally from Hamilton, Hansell’s music experience dates back to his childhood. He started formal piano lessons at age five but admits he “wasn’t crazy about it.” At 13, he got into classic rock artists, like Led Zeppelin, which he called a “gateway” into the rock world. He learned guitar and started his first band, Sticky Rice, with three classmates at school.

It was around that time that Hansell realized that music was his calling.

“At 13 or 14 [years old] is when I really got serious about it and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is something I might want to do with my life’” he said.

Now, Hansell is a second-year popular music studies student at London, Ont.’s Western University. It was through school that Hansell had the opportunity to record his debut album with student-run record label, Mistapes Records.

The label had put out a call for original song submissions by students within the popular music studies program. Hansell said he assumed multiple artists’ songs would be recorded for a compilation album. It was during an open Q&A meeting hosted by Mistapes Records in October 2022 that the label presented a different opportunity.

“I showed up to one of their meetings 20 minutes late … and when I walked in there, they were like, ‘Do you want to be the artist for this? Do you want to release an album?,’” said Hansell.

The Mistapes Records team told Hansell that they had previously seen him perform at open mic events.

“I felt like they were coming off with very little,” admitted Hansell.

However, with seven songs ready to go and the hope to release an album one day, he took the opportunity. Hansell started recording Inopia in December 2022 at Western University.

While Hansell recorded many parts of the album himself, he said he really enjoyed sitting in on other musicians who took part in the project.

Inopia features the talents of several musicians who also attend the university. Some of these include saxophonist, Ricky Chee; drummers, Manuel Thomas and Cora; and executive producer Aiden Wiebe of Wieben, who also mixed, recorded and played on the album.

“[Telling musicians] ‘Just go crazy and try to make the craziest sounds you can with your instrument’ was a lot of fun,” said Hansell.

One of his favourite memories was arranging the album’s strings section, played by Mary-Maria Bourdeau, Helen Faucher and Julianne Breen.

“I have more of a rock and pop background, which is ‘go into the studio and figure it out,’ but classical musicians speak a different language – they’re looking for the sheet music,” explained Hansell.

He said he applied skills from mandatory music theory classes at school to arrange the violin, viola and cello parts.

“[It] was something that I had not done before, but I felt it to be very rewarding,” said Hansell.

“One of the best feelings was hearing all those strings layered on top of each other.”

There was no lack of collaboration on Inopia. Reflecting his debut album, Hansell said the project exceeded his expectations because of the work of the many musicians involved.

“Getting those extra musicians really elevated the songs so much,” said Hansell. “Those are the parts of the project that I like listening to the most because I’m the least familiar with them. “

Alt New Monthly

November 2023’s Alt New Monthly features a big Canadian collaboration between The Effens and THE OBGMs, new music from Summer Heights, and a personal new discovery by Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.

To find songs previously featured in the Alt New Monthly playlist, check out the Alt New Archives on Spotify.

Thank you for reading the eighth edition of Alternative Motive. Apologies for the delay on getting this November to your inbox. A big December newsletter (the real one) is coming out Dec. 31 — you don’t want to miss it! Be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already and follow Alternative Motive on Instagram and TikTok.

Happy holidays,
Kendra