PINS – ‘Kiss Me Quickly (It’s Christmas)’
You will hear no Noddy Holder, no Christmas prayer, and no toothless fairytales from PINS and their Christmas song ‘Kiss Me Quickly (It’s Christmas)’. It’s a lo-fi, sultry symphony of melodrama, but hey, it is for charity. That and the opening of advent calendars have culminated in this effort making our Track Of The Day list.
Backed by classic jingle bells, Faith Holgate’s vocals are as alluring as they are dour and create an eternal Christmas sound. Full of all the hollow chills and snow-induced shudders of December with the burning hope and love that all Christmas tracks need. ‘Kiss Me Quickly’ is the B-side to another single soon to be released on Bella Union by the Northern lasses, Waiting For The End.
It fits this bill as well as its ‘holly and ivy’ credentials because despite being a predominantly charity single, it still has all the darkened quality we’ve come to expect from PINS.
Faith’s Grandfather is the main reason behind the band’s delve into Cliff territory, with ‘Kiss Me Quickly (It’s Christmas)’ the lead single from the charity album Hymns, available on cassette and produced by the band’s label Haus Of PINS. All of the proceeds from ‘Hymns’ will be given to SWAP, a charity that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the North. Faith explains, “My grandfather volunteers for the charity, he goes every week – he’s 81 years old and still chooses to spend his time doing this really admirable thing. I think he is an inspiration.”
Charity aside, it is refreshing for a modern band to take on ‘The Christmas Single’ so affluently without compromising their artistic nuance or wearing a massive furry hood (a la East 17). ‘Kiss Me Quickly (It’s Christmas)’ has its own identity apart from its seasonal roots.
It’s draped in Mancunian distrust and forlorn love, its riffs echo and fuzz as you might expect, and Holgate’s aforementioned vocals bring a sense of beautiful despair currently unmatched. It has its own identity, PINS identity.
Check out the track below.
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