We Are The Union - “Yr Always Alone (On Christmas)” from the 2022 album I Surrender Sleighs on I Surrender Records.

This week, we are continuing a long-held tradition of featuring Christmas-themed songs selected by Brian Foss, host of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. He will be hosting his 18th annual Punk Rock Xmess on Saturday, December 24th from 9pm -12am and then jump back on the mic Christmas day from noon - 9pm for his no standards, non-traditional Christmas broadcast, including a special holiday edition of Sunday Soul.

We Are The Union have been making ska-infused pop punk since 2005 with five full-length records to their name. After multiple lineup changes, original members vocalist/guitarist Reade Wolcott and bassist Brandon Benson have remained and added Ricky Weber on lead guitar and Jer Hunter on the ska-important trombone.

Their latest single “Yr Always Alone (On Christmas)” centers on the idea of loneliness and how especially excruciating the feeling is around the holidays. “Nuclear holiday /Oh, oh, oh, oh, detonate, set me free,” Wolcott sings with a nasally snarl. “Venom in your head, brandy on your breath /'Tis the season to be vile and mean.” The band had this to say about the song:

“Yr Always Alone (On Christmas)' is almost not a holiday song. It's a fairly cynical take on loneliness as a consequence of selfishness, but it's centered around Christmas as a focal point.”

The song was released on a compilation album of original, non-traditional Christmas songs via I Surrender Records titled I Surrender Sleighs. Watch the video for “Yr Always Alone (On Christmas),” directed by Rae Mystic, and read the full post at KEXP.org.