“Holly on the Bough” by Ronnie Martin

Ronnie Martin returns with another sleigh-load of synthesizer sounds for the Yuletide season.

Yes, I’m one of those curmudgeons who’s morally opposed to Christmas music being played before Thanksgiving. But I suppose I’ll make an exception for Ronnie Martin (of Joy Electric fame), who just announced another Christmas album: Holiday Fable, which follows last year’s Bells Merrily.

As is Martin’s wont, first single “Holly on the Bough” is filled with fantastical lyrical imagery (“Come sled with me/On the mountain slopes/Glide with ease”) and layers of glittering synthesizer tones and textures. It’s synth-pop, technically, but informed by Martin’s love for vintage synths as well as his trademark fairy tale aesthetic.

Holiday Fable will be released by Velvet Blue Music on November 30, 2023 in a variety of formats, including a “Super Deluxe Package” that features a poster and a metal Christmas ornament.

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