Having returned to the charts with ‘luck… or something‘ – her first album in 10 years and the most critically-acclaimed of her career – and toured the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand with ‘the lucky me tour‘, you’d be forgiven for thinking Hilary Duff‘s Christmas wish list might include a bit of rest…
That’s not the case, it seems, with the release of ‘Holiday Things’; a five-song festive set, announced on Wednesday and released less than 48 hours later, that taps into the soundscape of her latest material yet themed for the holidays. With three originals, a new (Mine) version and a cover, it’s a neat bow to top off a monumental year for Duff.
It’s also a full-circle moment; next year marks 25 years since the release of her debut album, ‘Santa Claus Lane’, and an updated version of Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’, which she covered for that record, is a welcome addition to the so-far seven (Mine) recordings she’s shared to-date.
Her take on ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, which reads as an internal monologue with Duff urging herself to let go of the emotional weight she carries and enjoy the season, is lovely, but its the original material that proves the most compelling here.
A nod to Mariah’s all-time classic, ‘All You Want for Christmas is Me’ is the most single-worthy of the three new cuts, as she admits she’d ‘rather stay at home in peace and watch Christmas Story’ than immerse herself in strained family get-togethers. Instead, she and her other half (rather relatably) opt to stay home, eat Thai food and drink ‘shitty champagne’ – sounds ideal!
On the indie-pop ‘I Want (a few small things)’, Duff shares her most-wanted gifts for the holidays – with the tongue-in-cheek list including ‘a new face cream that’ll keep me glowing all day’, ‘a coffee shop that has all the milks’, ‘a Trader Joe’s that has parking spots’, and ‘a healthy portion of French fries served with most meals’ – for a fun romp that’ll no doubt make it onto many holiday party playlists.
Rounding out the set, the tender ‘I Guess it’s Christmas’ leans into the melancholy of the season for a moment that is, as she sings, ‘half bitter, half sweet’, before landing on the realisation that its those around us that make the magic of Christmas: ‘I don’t feel so lost since you’re here / Wrap me up in cheer, kiss me into next year.’
If her latest album was Duff’s big comeback, the EP feels more a passion project and a thank you to the legions of fans that have stuck around throughout the years and helped make her latest comeback one of the biggest in years. But that’s OK – on ‘Holiday Things’, everything feels intentional, the original songs are strong and she sounds great.
And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we’re treated to a new instalment – or, perhaps, a fully-fleshed holiday album – this time next year.
