The Key – Christmas EP

Ho Ho Ho. 'Tis the season for a novelty Christmas release. Actually, thinking about it, this year's must have indie item is a more straight laced festive release. Hell, even Bob Dylan has got in on the act. Welsh indie tunesters The Keys are no different and have taken this trend to heart with their fourth EP release of 2009, the seasonally titled - Christmas EP.Despite its title, on first listen you could be forgiven for missing some of the festivities on this record. Instead of plumping for the generic ingredients of your traditional Christmas record, The Keys have mixed things up a little. There are no kids' choirs to be heard, no 'Ho Ho Ho's' or frosty snowmen, even the sleighbell use is kept to a minimum. Listen closely and you will hear a few jingle bells but they are not so in your face that you'll want to kick the nearest reindeer. In fact, unlike most Christmas releases there's nothing that cringeworthy about this record.Instead of cold and wintry, this EP has much more of a summery vibe than you would generally come to expect from your run-of-the-mill December release. Whilst it's not earth-shatteringly new, the sound is rich in super-sweet 60s melodies and comes complete with a couple of splendidly catchy chorusesLead track 'Queuing Up For Christmas Time' is the only straight-up Christmas song on the EP. It's a piece of perfect jangly pop which owes a lot to fellow countrymen Super Furry Animals at their best. That, clearly is no bad thing.'There's A Place', is again sickly sweet in its sixties-esque melodies that almost verge on twee. After a brief respite with instrumental track 'The Reveal', the EP comes to a crashing close with a 7-minute psychedelic romp that is 'Strange Garden'.Whilst many Christmas releases are full of painful novelty songs that you sicken of long before your turkey curry loses its appeal, the summery sixties vibe on the Christmas EP from The Keys should see you through the new year.