Bleachers Get The Holiday Blues On New Single “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” – Listen
The newly released single subverts expectations of what most Christmas singles are, delving deeper into themes of loneliness and reconciliation amidst the holiday blues.
Courtesy of Dirty Hit
Courtesy of Dirty Hit
Bleachers have released their first-ever Christmas single, “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call.”
Unlike most merry jingles, the Jack Antonoff-led band’s approach to the holiday track is a lot more somber than usual — tackling themes of melancholy as Antonoff mourns a past relationship amidst the Christmas blues. As the song acknowledges a bittersweet holiday-season desire for reconciliation, it ultimately reflects that such estrangement is necessary, which makes it a unique entry to Bleachers’ ever-evolving discography.
Prior to its official release, “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” was teased extensively as different versions of the song were performed live at the 8th and 9th annual Ally Coalition Talent Shows in December 2022 and 2023 of the group, as well as acoustically during the band’s 2024 ‘From the Studio to the Stage’ tour.
Together with the track’s release, a special music video was also dropped to celebrate the song finally being out in the world. Directed by Clare Gillen, the video showcases Antonoff and his fellow Bleachers bandmates performing their hearts out amidst the winter snow, which makes the perfect setting for the cold nature of the track itself. Check it out in its entirety below:
“Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” follows the release of Bleachers’ two albums that dropped earlier this year, which include their fourth studio album, Bleachers, and the re-recorded reimagining of their debut album, A Stranger Desired. Over the past year, Antonoff and the band have been releasing several singles of their live performances (which are set to build up their forthcoming live album, From The Studio To The Stage), including a special duet version of their single “Tiny Moves” featuring the one and only Canadian pop sensation, Carly Rae Jepsen.
Outside of Bleachers, Antonoff has had a busy 2024, having produced several tracks on Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, Sabrina Carpenter‘s Short ‘n Sweet, and Kendrick Lamar‘s latest studio album GNX.
As we anticipate the release of Bleachers’ From The Studio To The Stage live album, listen to “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” below: