Winter Indie Playlist 2018
There’s nothing like listening to some chill winter tunes while cuddling up next to the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate. We’ve got an awesome playlist to warm up your winter this season.
Tracks in the Snow — The Civil Wars
This is one of my favourite acoustic winter songs. The indie folk duo slows it down in this song with a calming riff played by guitar. I love both of their voices so much. It’s the perfect song to compliment your Sunday afternoon curled up by the fire.
Winter Birds — Ray LaMontagne
Winter Birds sparkles with indie-folk winter vibes. Ray LaMontagne has such a smooth voice that perfectly fits with the guitar. He also experiments with many chromatic chord changes that might surprise you the first time you listen to it. It sounds a bit strange but very fitting.
White Winter Hymnal — Pentatonix
Who doesn’t love listening to Pentatonix during the holidays? (I mean, I could listen to their holiday albums any time of the year and I would still love them.) This is probably one of my favourite covers of White Winter Hymnal. Not only does the acapella group create beautiful harmonies, but they also incorporate body percussion which tops the piece off perfectly.
Snowflakes — Passenger
Snowflakes is another slow folk tune taken from a beautiful poem written by Passenger. The simplicity of the song paints a vivid picture of watching the snow fall outside (something many of us Canadians can relate to). He also did a cover of this song with Ed Sheeran back in 2010.
Let It Snow — Daniela Andrade
Ever since watching her cover of La Vie en Rose, I have been a huge fan of Daniela Andrade. She is definitely a rising singer to watch. Her entire holiday EP titled, The Christmas EP, is one that you should definitely check out. She covers classics such as Let It Snow by putting her own twist on it with acoustic guitar and of course, her iconic voice.
Delicate — Damien Rice
Delicate feels like a farewell song to the year that you’ve had. The song sticks with the acoustic folk theme that we’ve got going on, but it is such a fragile and emotional song compared to some of the others that I’ve mentioned before. His voice is filled with sorrow and nostalgia that I am deeply moved every time I listen to it.
Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm — Benjamin Francis Leftwich
Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm is a gentle winter lullaby. There’s a line from the song that goes, “Don’t you love me? Don’t you want to be my sky?” and I think it’s just so cute. Ever since his first EP in 2011, Leftwich has made ripples in the indie music scene.
In A Week — Hozier
This playlist could not have been complete without a Hozier song or two. In A Week is raw, emotional and simply beautiful. This touching duet with Alana Henderson is about lying peacefully with his lover in the cold until they die. Hozier seems to have a way with portraying dark imagery with beautifully tragic music.
Sister Snow — Silences
The Silences, I think, are such a unique group in that they use pure ambient vocals complimented with a soft lulling accompaniment. Sister Snow is catchy and driven by the simple backbeat of the kick drum. I love the harmonies and colours in this song.
Lullaby — Lord Huron
We all know Lord Huron from his hit, The Night We Met, but his other songs are just as alluring. Lullaby is a beautiful little tune to fall asleep to (if you couldn’t tell by the title). He takes a Hawaiian-like theme in electric guitar and layers vocal harmonies on top of it. He also throws in some minor chord progressions played by marimba in the bridge that give a little twist to the simple melody.
These are just some of the songs I’m listening to this winter season. For the full playlist, follow my ‘snowy tunes’ playlist on Spotify:
