On November 24th, British folk-pop duo Memorial put out their new single, “In The Arms Of December.” Equal parts Sufjan Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel, “In The Arms Of December” is a gorgeous ode to the potential sadness and personal growth that come with the holiday season. That might sound depressing, but I promise it’s not.
As Memorial has said of the song, “This song was born out of one of those nights in mid-December, the festive season had truly kicked in but felt completely elsewhere. The TV was just background noise and sleep was a distant goal behind all anxious thoughts and the only solace was the company of a familiar spirit. We only had a verse for almost a year and it was a really cathartic process to return to a place of desperation, from a position of clarity and be able to leave that darkness behind respectfully.” The song might sound bittersweet because it us, but the point behind the song is more sweet than bitter.
The harmonies are reminiscent of the aforementioned Simon and Garfunkel, but also the most recent collaborative album between Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, A Beginner’s Mind (which you can read our review of here). The vocals are the right amount of breathy, and the instrumentation reminds me of Sufjan’s “Casimir Pulaski Day.” That is to say: “In The Arms Of December” is a folk-pop masterpiece.
Check out “In The Arms Of December” below, and let us know what you think!
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