As many of you probably know, if you’ve followed the career of singer/songwriter Sofia Talvik, by now she releases a new original Christmas single (as a free download) every year. Her Christmas songs are generally on the darker side, so 2020 did not pose any obstacles for achieving that this year. Her new Christmas single is called “This Mess We’re In”; please listen to and watch the video below.
Ms. Talvik’s explanation and motivation is clear: “I think many artists, including myself in the beginning of this pandemic, thought that we’d finally have lots of time to create, something that can easily be pushed aside by a busy tour schedule a regular year. I also think that more artists than just me, then sat down with a deep sigh and no inspiration and no creative urge to do anything. Because touring, playing live and meeting people is what feeds inspiration, and we haven’t been able to do any of those things this year.
So that is the grounds to this Christmas single, as well as reflection of the craziness of this whole year with people calling the pandemic a hoax, and the general fail of most of the world to handle it in a good way. All the while, we have lots of other problems on this planet as well. So I guess you could call it a “doomsday Christmas” song, because why not – it’s 2020.
What I did have time to do this year was to put extra work into the production. When I initially started my tradition of Christmas songs, it was also a way for me to experiment and just have fun with the sound, and it didn’t have to follow the sound of my albums. But as years passed, my Christmas songs became just another part of my repertoire and lost their experimental flare. So this year I am bringing it back with a big “dream-folk” production. I use 5 different guitars and a banjo on this track. I brought in bass from Sweden (by Janne Manninen) and drums all the way from New Orleans (by Marc Pagani).
Poignant and fitting for the moment, indeed.
“This Mess We’re In” is available now on all streaming platforms, etc.
https://sofiatalvik.com/