Bleachers have released a heartbreaking new holiday single called ‘Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call’ – check it out below.
Opening with an echoing synth and sleigh bells ringing softly in the background, Jack Antonoff and co. paint a picture of a fractured relationship during Christmas time. “But you should know that I died slow / Running through the halls of your haunted home / And the toughest part is that we both know / what happened to you / why you’re out on your own,” Antonoff sings, describing a relationship in turmoil.
The track is a quintessential Bleachers take on a holiday song and is also a long-awaited fan favourite as the band have been teasing ‘Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call’ during their live shows for the past two years.
Earlier this year, the frontman took to his Instagram to share an update on the track. “Opened my laptop this morning and started looking at ‘MCPDC’. Feels like this is the year to end it with. got a video too. that’s for later,” he wrote in the caption.
The band have also teased a video for the track that is set for release at a later date. The clip of the video shared on the band’s Instagram page sees Antonoff singing in a studio where it is snowing while his bandmate is sporting a Santa Claus hat and playing the keys.
Elsewhere, back in September, Bleachers released a “reimagined” version of their debut album ‘Strange Desire’ in celebration of its 10th anniversary titled ‘A Stranger Desired’.
Bleachers released their self-titled fourth album in March via Dirty Hit and Shadow Of The City. It earned a glowing four-star review by NME’s Rhian Daly, who described it as containing “some of their best material yet”.
Antonoff also spoke to NME the following month, and recalled how he had found a new version of self-respect throughout his time in the industry.
He said: “[It’s] to do what I love. You know, I live my life in the studio and on tour – that’s how I communicate and feel myself. [But] everyone has a different version of it. I think maintaining it as you define it – and not as it’s defined in a moment and culture – is pretty vital to maintain dignity and our own human experience. Especially as more and more of our lives become like other people’s reflections.
“It’s really important to reject that, especially as an artist or someone in the public eye [where] there’s so much pressure to toe any kind of party line thinking. And the truth is, I have thoughts that aren’t really quantified by any person or community; they’re just my own. And so I don’t want to be, I guess, as readable or predictable as I’d be celebrated [for] if I were to be.”
In other news, Bleachers are set to perform at Antonoff’s annual The Ally Coalition Talent Show next month in New York. Visit here for tickets and more information.
