Eels have released a festive new Christmas song this week (November 30), called ‘Christmas, Why You Gotta Do Me Like This’. Check it out below.
The song is described as “an alternative yuletide ballad with a traditionally morose, Eels twist” and “a tale of unrequited love at Christmas time.”
Lead singer-songwriter E/Mark Oliver Everett said of the track: “I mean, seriously. Haven’t I always been good to you, Christmas? Enough with the coal in my stocking. For fuck’s sake.”
The song follows the band’s previous festive offerings ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas’ and ‘Christmas is Going to the Dogs’.
“Everyone should have at least three Christmas songs in their catalog”, Everett added. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”
Check it out here:
Back in June, the original line-up of Eels reunited on stage in Los Angeles for their first performance together in 25 years.
Mark ‘E’ Everett formed the indie mainstays in 1995 alongside Jonathan ‘Butch’ Norton and Tommy Walter, with the pair leaving two years later. Eels were touring their last album ‘Extreme Witchcraft’.
Eels’ latest Christmas song is taken from the band’s upcoming compilation album, ‘EELS So Good: Essential EELS, Vol.2’ which is released out on December 15th via E Works/[PIAS].
Spanning over 15 years, seven studio albums, the album includes the band’s greatest hits as three previously unreleased tracks and five that are being pressed to vinyl for the first time, including ‘Royal Pain’ from Shrek The Third, and ‘Man Up’ from the official soundtrack of Yes Man.
Reviewing Eels’ last album upon its release in early 2022, NME said: “It certainly doesn’t sound like an album recorded remotely in collaboration with PJ Harvey foil John Parish, with E adding his parts at 4am while trying not to wake his son. The first half of the record throws back somewhat to the pair’s last collab on 2001’s abrasive ‘Souljacker’ – fuzzed up retro garage rock dominates the opening run of ‘Amateur Hour’ and ‘Good Night On Earth’.
“‘Nuggets’ is speckled with psychedelia and trademark E self-deprecation, and hosts an extremely belated kiss-off to Colin Firth for delivering the line “I can’t stand Eels” in Love, Actually.
