Shame have come out with a nearly anti-Christmas single. The ingredients are there for a heart warming Yuletide ditty, albeit one performed by South London post-punks – jingle bells, a light melody with twinkling guitar and keys, gently coo-ing vocals. You can almost hear snow falling on pavement as the narrator trudges through wintry streets, pledging to lay everything down at a sovereign’s feet, in the words of the song: “fuck it, a Christmas story”.
Only the sovereign here isn’t baby Jesus, it’s an ex-partner, and rather than bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, Shame recite “If I could rip off all my skin/ and parcel it inside a tin/ I’d write my name in biro/ on the ribbons/ like decoration”. Not sure if Mary and Joseph or God himself would have appreciated that for their hay-smothered, donkey-fragranced kid.
You shouldn’t hold your breath hoping to see this festive smash on Top of the Pops (although that would be ace), but it still works as an ideal soundtrack to wrapping up crimbo presents with a mug of hot cocoa.
Baldur’s Gate is out now on all streaming services via Dead Oceans.