The holidays can be a lonely time. No girlfriend or significant other? Check. Super tired of the miserable weather? Check.
The holidays can be especially lonely if you’re also away from home.
But luckily, there is a solution.
As The DePaulia’s emo-loving resident, here are plenty of songs that can coincide feelings of emptiness with abandonment.
Happy holidays.
Dikembe — “All I want for Christmas is You”
This is a spin on the Mariah Carey song, which is arguably the best Christmas song of all time. Let these dudes from Gainesville, Florida, put you in a Christmas mood with a twinkly, slowed-down emo jam on this classic.
Bright Eyes — “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Warning: only listen to this if you’re in the worst of worst moods. Bright Eyes front man Conor Oberst takes this version of a likable Christmas song and slaughters it. His goat-like vocals are at times absolutely unlistenable, but there’s a somberness to this song that can make one appreciate their life, letting them know that it can be worse.
Jason Gleason — “Sleigh Bells and Wine”
This is another Christmas track, albeit an original one. The former Further Seems Forever front man contributed this to a pop-punk Christmas compilation in 2003. The guitar in this song is soothing and adds a jazz-like tone to it.
Gleason sings “and the loneliest Christmas is one without you” as a jazz riff then kicks in to leave one alone with their thoughts. Indeed.
Elliot Smith — “Bottle Up and Explode!”
Finally, a pure non-Christmas track. Elliot Smith might be the king of sadness, however.
But this track, in particular, is more of an up-lifting kind of sadness. “Bottle Up and Explode!” encourages bottling up emotions and getting through the day. Okay, maybe it’s still bleak, but it sounds up-lifting when listening to it.
“XO” was Elliot Smith’s last full-length album before he committed suicide, but that album — and this track — is a masterpiece.
From Indian Lakes — “Fog”
The sophomore album of From Indian Lakes, “Absent Sounds” was one of my favorite albums from 2014. “Fog” is the record’s closing track and it’s a perfect way to close.
“Fog” is another song of reflection — a six-week break gives a lot of time for that —and this one nails it on the head. “Who do you want to be now that they’re gone” front man Joey Vannucchi asks at the beginning.
From Indian Lakes is a great mix of emo and indie rock. “Fog” builds and builds until an extremely satisfying bridge.
Anne Murray — “Snowbird”
Anne Murray is the furthest thing from emo. Why is it included here? Because it’s awesome, that’s why.
I may or not be ashamed that “Family Guy” turned me on to this track, but “Snowbird” is a perfect track to listen to during the holidays. It’s short and sweet, but it’s chorus is perfectly nostalgic.