Never let it be said that brother-sister folk duo This Frontier Needs Heroes doesn’t get in the holiday spirit. On a recent stop by the Converse Rubber Tracks Studio in Brooklyn, the group recorded a new song called “Lonely Kind of Christmas” and, with it, are here to offer their own kind of Christmas cheer. The group also brought on New Yorker illustrator Marcellus Hall to handle the song’s artwork (which you can see above). As evidenced by the title, the song isn’t your typical Christmas song but is instead a hesitant and slightly maudlin view of love — and the lack thereof — during this season of Santa Claus and Rudolph. But you got to hand it to them, that sax solo is an inspired bit of production and anchors the song firmly within the realm of past holiday traditions.
But far some coming across as a mere cash grab for this time of the year, This Frontier Needs Heroes make this song feel as necessary and opportune as anything in their back catalogue — it just happens to be about Christmas. The undercurrent of longing and self-deprecation can’t hide the fact that the song is indeed a call for people to come together in some fashion, whether its family, friends, or lovers. And if you happen to lean toward the more Scrooge-y thoughts regarding the holidays, let the simple honesty of its slightly forlorn attitude clear out the festive cobwebs, even if it’s just for a little while. It is Christmas after all.
Beats Per Minutes is pleased to premiere This Frontier Needs Heroes’ latest song, “Lonely Kind of Christmas.”
