Good Charlotte, Last December
MDDN Records

Good Charlotte do a bloody good Christmas tune – their 2017 EP proved that. But this year, they’ve come through with the perfect anti-anthem to the festive season: Last December is a bittersweet ode to Christmases gone by, combining the perfect ratio of nostalgia, pain, and optimism.

Christmas songs, even in the emo world, have a bit of a rep for being cheesy nightmares – none of that in Good Charlotte’s writing room. All the classic makings of a moody pop-punk banger are there; guitar riffs and simmering melodies that pierce straight to the heart, gang vocals that fluctuate between ardent community spirit and desolate loneliness, and Good Charlotte’s trademark singalong appeal that’s not faltered over their whole twenty-year career.

Last December, with its themes of growing up, living fast, and taking it all in, could be any kind of pop punk banger, but it’s all the more resonant coming at this harsh Christmastime. Good Charlotte lament a past in which they’ve not appreciated what’s in front of them enough, and at the same time earnestly promise to do so starting now. Sounds familiar – and it’s a joy to yell along to.

Last Christmas is out now.