Listen: Dawes Get in the Holiday Spirit with “Christmas Tree in the Window”

Photo Credit: Jon Chu

It’s truly incredible what the holiday spirit can do. Today, Nov. 20, it charges Dawes to continue a staggering end-of-year run, following the release of their triumphant ninth studio album Oh Brother and a jam-packed promotion tour with the new single “Christmas Tree in the Window.” Sure enough, their latest offering attends to the transformative power of the season with a comical and wry, yet warmhearted take on Christmas magic.

Leave it to Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, now the sole members of Dawes, to perfectly balance sardonic Angelino sarcasm and an almost embarrassingly earnest commitment to cheesy feelings. “Christmas Tree in the Window” subverts expectations for holiday camp by working from the perspective of a burglar taking advantage of the festivities break into a family home, á la Home Alone. Before he can steal Christmas, however, he’s thwarted by the twinkling tree in the window, and retreats in tears to call his parents from the car. How sweet? Decide for yourself.

“Christmas Tree in the Window” is “a song about the spirit of Christmas making someone decide to be a better person,” Taylor shares in a release. “It’s been easy to get cynical about the holiday season as I’ve gotten older, but there are still moments when a song, a decoration, or a special moment can bring all the magic back. This song is obviously a ridiculous example of that feeling, but hopefully still an experience we can all relate to at its core.”

Dawes’ holiday celebration will continue on Dec. 7 with the second-annual iteration of its ​​“Dawes & Friends: Christmas in LA” performance at Los Angeles’ The Bellwether. Turning a landmark occasion into a tradition, the imminent event will unite the folk-rock mainstays with an impressive rotation of special guests, tapping some of the biggest bands in the worlds of alternative and indie rock for a thrilling holiday get-together.

While details for this year’s event are still forthcoming, the 2023 staging featured appearances from X Ambassadors’ Sam Nelson, who covered Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” Panic! At the Disco’s Mike Viola, who gave his own “Paul McCartney” and Dawes’ “Comes in Waves,” Matt Koma of Winnetka Bowling League, who shared his band’s “Feeling California” and his hosts’ “When the Tequila Runs Out” and Madison Cunningham, who performed “Broken Harvest” with the band. The evening’s latter half saw a highlight with the arrival of My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and Bo Koster, who issued their classic “Oh My Christmas Tree.” Secure tickets for the second celebration at thebellwetherla.com.

“Christmas Tree in the Window” is available on all streaming platforms now. Dawes will continue to tour across the country through Dec. 14, then pick up again in April. For tickets and more information, visit dawestheband.com/tour/.