Tired of the repetitive holiday playlists and outdated renditions that dominate radio stations and shopping malls come December? Bad Religion’s ‘Christmas Songs’ injects rebellious punk energy into classic Christian hymns, delivering an irreverent and unexpectedly joyful take on festive favorites.
Stream: ‘Christmas Songs’ – Bad Religion
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – until the endless loop of overplayed Christmas music starts to wear everyone down.
For those craving a new perspective, look no further than Christmas Songs by Bad Religion. Apt for punk rock lovers (or perhaps anyone just needing to blow off some steam during the busy holiday season), this project delivers a proper dose of festivity complete with a defiant, high-energy twist.
Released in 2013, Christmas Songs is a fast-paced, nine-track album that clocks in at just under twenty minutes. It features a collection of Christmas classics, many of which are traditional Christian hymns: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “What Child Is This,” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” to name a few.
These particular selections exemplify the hilariously irreverent charm of Bad Religion’s punk reinterpretation. The band’s name, paired with their iconic Crossbuster logo – a Christian cross with a red slash through it – adds an ironic edge to the entire project. The album concludes with their 1993 hit “American Jesus,” providing a cheeky and fitting punchline to an otherwise-religious tracklist.
Bad Religion was formed in 1980 by a group of high school friends in Los Angeles, California. They built an underground following alongside other legendary local acts like Social Distortion and have since established themselves as a cornerstone of the punk rock scene. Known for pairing their high-energy music with thought-provoking lyrics, the band tackles topics such as the media, religion, and current societal issues. Their record label, Epitaph Records, was formed by guitarist Brett Gurewitz and has grown into a powerhouse within the punk scene, representing other influential bands like Descendents, The Garden, and Joyce Manor.
Despite their rebellious approach, the band stays surprisingly faithful (pun intended) to the core of the tracks on Christmas Songs. Their renditions remain recognizable but are undoubtedly reimagined through a punk lens. Strong and melodic electric guitars coupled with layered and harmonizing gang vocals give these hymns an unmistakable edge. The most notable tweak to these classics is the tempo; most tracks are sped up by the snare-heavy beats and quick double-time energy characteristic of the punk genre.
Gurewitz echoed these sentiments in a 2013 interview with Diffuser about the album. He recalls that “a lot of people were shocked that we weren’t making jokes out of the songs. For Bad Religion to perform these highly religious Christmas songs is, frankly, a desecration…That’s the point of it. To make jokes out of the lyrics would lose some of the power behind the songs. Treating the songs respectfully and playing the shit out of them in the Bad Religion style is our way of saying a church is just a building, holy water is just water and a Christmas song is just a song. There is no magic there. Oh, well, there is magic there because it is music.”
The opening track, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” is a standout example of what makes this album so magical. The song begins in a burst of melodic vocals against the staunch silence of zero instrumentation. While the vocals are strong in nature, they’re also surprisingly smooth; an unsuspecting listener might initially mistake it for a straightforward cover. Greg Graffin’s polished lead vocals are a hallmark of Bad Religion’s sound, remaining clear and captivating throughout the band’s forty-year tenure. The first verse is performed entirely in this style, leaving seasoned punk fans anticipating the inevitable subversive shift. A dramatic slide down the electric guitar fret is met with the rapid kick of a snare drum, launching the second verse firmly into punk rock territory.
This gritty intensity continues, amplifying each repeated cry of “Hark!” in a way that captures the triumphant spirit of the original hymn. Bad Religion’s delivery, though undeniably humorous and contrarian, breathes new life into this classic, resulting in a striking interpretation that is both powerful and simply a joy to experience.
Perhaps Christmas Songs is Bad Religion’s gift to all the punks that find themselves on the naughty list. Their iconic sound and playful irreverence result in a holiday album that’s destined to become a revisited favorite.
— —
:: stream/purchase Christmas Songs here ::
:: connect with Bad Religion here ::
—
— — — —
Connect to Bad Religion on
Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
© courtesy of Bad Religion
© courtesy of Bad ReligionChristmas Songs
an album by Bad Religion
