Track Premiere: Steel Wool's "Last Christmas"

Back in May, I threw together a list of recent compilation records where the proceeds went directly to various organizations and charities who are currently helping people through the ongoing genocide in Gaza (you can check out that list here)!

Tomorrow, a holiday-focused compilation compiled by Hit the North Records drops. Cheekily named HIT THE NORTH POLE: A FESTIVE CHARITY COMPILATION FOR THE PALESTINE CHILDREN’S RELIEF FUND, the release features 10 different holiday covers that are each remarkably inventive and fresh takes on their respective source materials. Rising Los Angeles slowcore act Steel Wool’s dreamy version of “Last Christmas” is just one of three strikingly different interpretations of Wham!’s stone-cold stunner you’ll get when you buy the compilation. “A few months ago, we thought we were writing a new song, only to realize we’d accidentally reverse engineered George Michael’s 1984 hit (“Last Christmas”)” the band says. “We kept trying to salvage the track and find a way to make it our own, but just couldn’t shake his unique brand of festive melancholy, so we shelved the demo. We’ve loved getting the chance to revisit the song while really leaning into the original, and are thrilled to release it in support of such an important cause.”

HIT THE NORTH POLE understands an important fact, which is that you can never have too many “Last Christmas” covers. While Chicago rocker Jacob on the Moon goes in a loungey, lo-fi pop direction and LA art pop artist Kurupi veers joyously into a luminous, frazzled noise, the Steel Wool version of the Wham! classic reverberates with slow, plodding, buzzy stadium guitars and huge, brooding crooner vocals. All three are uniquely different versions, and you can hear Steel Wool’s version below:

<a href="https://hitthenorthrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hit-the-north-pole-a-festive-charity-compilation-for-the-palestine-childrens-relief-fund">Hit the North Pole: A Festive Charity Compilation for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund by Hit the North Records</a>

HIT THE NORTH POLE: A FESTIVE CHARITY COMPILATION FOR THE PALESTINE CHILDREN’S RELIEF FUND features other contributions from artists, with a few artists MGRM has had the chance to highlight in the past, including little bit and Nisa, as well Artie Do Good, Liska, Smooth Rogers, Small Shake & Fur Trader, and Tiberius. It’s out now, and you can (and should) get it here!