Milwaukee musicians can be quite festive from time to time. Through the years, local bands and solo artists have amassed an extensive playlist of legitimately impressive, creative, catchy, and funny holiday songs. This yuletide season is no different, as a couple area local projects recently added to the Cream City’s seasonal song canon.
This Black Friday, industrial hip-hop outfit Guerrilla Ghost—just a few months removed from the release of their latest album, The Fool—got into the Christmastime spirit with the release of “Five Golden Rings,” a lighthearted rap with references to brandy old fashioneds, Mrs. Griswold, the Jelly Of The Month Club, Super Nintendo, and wanting the gift of some new rap beats.
Late last week, E.B. Albeit—the solo project of Eston Bennett of Joseph Huber Band and Thriftones notoriety—released a decidedly less uplifting holiday song. Despite the song’s inviting island vibes (including pedal steel accompaniment from Will Hansen of Old Pup), “Broke On Xmas” focuses on the financial stress that many face every December while tying to meet the growing expectations of consumer holidays like Christmas, Boxing Day, and the like. While this might not be something you’ll hear piping over the P.A. at Target, it’s still a damn fine song with a semi-seasonal twist.
And if you want more Milwaukee-made holiday music from previous year’s, we invite you to stream this holiday mix we put together in 2024.