It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeeeeeear! Yes, the Joyzine Advent Calendar is back once again to bring you 24 days of fantastic free music downloads from a amazing array of our favourite artists. This year marks the 21st edition of our online calendar making it (as far as we’re aware) the longest running on the net (though we’re always happy to be corrected). As always, every track is completely free to download and we don’t require you to sign up for a mailing list (though you can if you want to) or hand over your personal data – it’s our way of saying thank you to everyone who’s visited the site during 2024 and to hopefully bring a few more listeners to some very deserving artists.

However, if you do enjoy the tracks we would love you to consider making a donation to our chosen cause, which this year is the wonderful First Timers Fest, a brilliant grassroots DIY organisation helping people take the first step into making music. Alumni include Joyzine faves Big Joanie, Panic Pocket, Charmpit and Breakup Haircut, with many more great bands coming through every year. We asked First Timers for a few words about what they do:

First Timers Fest is all about supporting new people into music! Yes that’s right, we mean you! We demystify the music making process through a series of beginners workshops that encourage people to try something new, no pressure to start a band after. The festival is open to everyone, but we particularly want to encourage people from marginalised groups to apply.

Next year we will be hosting our workshops at the Cavendish in Stockwell but following a sell out festival at the Victoria in Dalston we have decided to host the festival at a much bigger venue: The Oslo Hackney! This will take place on 4th May 2025. See you there!!!

Make a donation to First Timers

We’ve got a sleigh-full of fantastic tracks for you again this year, including some festive tunes, plenty of exclusives and some of our favourite songs of 2024. Let’s get crack(er)ing!

Vintage style album sleeve with black and white photo of Subliminal Girls

What can I say about Subliminal Girls that I’ve not already said in the dozens of articles I’ve written about them in the past decade and a bit? Just when you think you know a band, they pull something unexpected out of the bag. Today’s track is a poignant, piano led beauty, with vocal duties taken on by Danny Le Pelley, who can more usually be found enjoying himself immensely on bass. It promises great things for their upcoming debut album, due next year a mere 17 years since their debut single.

We caught up with the band to find out more.

Tell us a little about your track please
This special Christmas bonus track was recorded and sung by Danny and tells the true story of Lydia Martin, who tragically died aged 21, 21 years ago in mid December 2003. Christmas is all about remembering the good times, and this song is about remembering a throwaway joke the last time I saw her.

What have you been up to in 2024 and what do you have planned for the next 12 months?
It has been an interesting year for Subliminal Girls, Jimmy has been fronting Yachts Up, Jim has been playing guitar for Tim Holehouse, jobs have changed, a child has been born to Arran, the next generation has been spawned, it has been stressful and wonderful, Danny has hit a writing peak due to an encounter that he and Jim had with Jason Isbell. That band is no longer conforming to what is expected of them. For 2025 they are back, with a single collaboration with a major recording artist and their first full length album to be recorded. Casting Pearls Before Swine due on Vanity Project records next year with Nicky contributing from exile in Saudi Arabia.

Christmas songs – love them or hate them? Why?
We loved hearing Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ the first thousand times.

Download ‘Mid December‘
Make a donation to First Timers

Subliminal Girls: Facebook / Instagram

Catch up on all of this year’s Advent Calendar Tracks so far:
1: Piney Gir – Reindeer
2: Gabriel Minnikin – Said Information
3: LOUD WOMEN ft. Smallways, Butterknife, Daddy Issues, Witch Spit, R.U.B, Vipersnatch, Worm Girlz, Lady Lazarus and Stabbitha & The Knifey Wifeys
4: First Timers Fest ft. Gay Skeleton Club and Skutterfly
5: Goo Records ft. Jopy, The Stanford Family Band, Owners Club and The Roebucks
6: Dead Horse – Historic
7: Gemma Rogers – Never Have I Ever