New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Producer Ben Hosley has announced the release of Slow Xmas 2, a compilation of alternative Christmas music released by Bone Sound Records. Like its 2021 predecessor, the 2nd official Slow Xmas album showcases a variety of musicians all interpreting and creating based on one simple prompt: gotta be slow. In addition to
Heavy Gus, this years' release is a veritable stocking stuffer of jams from artists including
Heavy Gus, Nicky Francis, Roman Mars and more. Hosley notes, "This time it's even slooooower."
The track "Lulajże Jezuniu," from the California-based trio
Heavy Gus was previously released along with the announcement of the album.
Heavy Gus is led by songwriting couple Dorota Szuta and multi-instrumentalist Stelth Ulvang (The Lumineers) along with percussionist Ryan Dobrowski (Blind Pilot). They released their debut album Notions through BMG in August 2022. Szuta writes, "'Lulajże Jezuniu' is a traditional Polish kolęda (Christmas song) that I grew up listening to and singing every year. It's a rather sad lullaby sung by Mary to her crying baby."
The creative force behind the newly-founded Slow Xmas tradition is NYC based audio producer Ben Hosley. What began in 2020 as a bonus content offering for Blank Check - the acclaimed film / comedy podcast where Ben serves as the longtime producer - has continued to evolve from its chopped and screwed, vaporwave-adjacent origins. In 2021, the first official volume was released featuring performances from Sad13, the solo project of Sadie Dupuis from
Speedy Ortiz, recording with members of Cloud Nothings.
Hosley has spent seven years as Executive Producer and on-mic personality for Blank Check. He previously worked at Spotify's in-house content studio and founded the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's bicoastal podcast network. He is an alumnus of The Annoyance Theater in Brooklyn and UCB. His work has appeared on IFC, Vulture, The A/V Club. He has also been "getting into fashion," and launched his own clothing and lifestyle brand called Congratulations that includes pairs of buried jeans (literally, jeans that were naturally aged through the process of temporary burial beneath the fashionable topsoil of New Jersey). His sleep podcast Sound for Sleeping Sleepy Sleep Sleep, is launching in 2023.
Blank Check is a long-running movie and culture podcast. It's hosted by film critic for The Atlantic,
David Sims, and by actor Griffin Newman; whose recent credits include Netflix's Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Disney's Disenchanted.
SLOW XMAS Vol. 2 Tracklist:
1. Christmas All Over Again - Nicky Francis
2. Lulajże Jezuniu -
Heavy Gus
3. The (Slow) Christmas Song - Gravity Proof
4. Here Comes
Santa Claus Lane - Evan Kertman
5. This Could Be Christmas - Greeensleeves
6. We Three Slow
Kings - Electric Santa
7. A Slow Visit from St. Nicholas - Roman Mars
8. Wonderful Christmastime (Slow) - The Orgs
9. Carol -
Heavenly Peace
