I’m releasing a new song next week, which is actually an old song, but a new version. I almost wanted to call it “Train Song (Holiday Version) (Matt’s Version)”. But “Holiday Train Song” is what it’s called.

 

So here’s the story.

 

I wrote a song called “Train Song” 5 years ago. I recorded and produced it for a project called Philly Spice. My sister Julia sang lead vocals on it. It had different lyrics then, but it had a similar vibe. It was a story about a train ride on a winter's day, which eventually stops due to the snow.

 

In the new version, the stakes are a little higher: I’m on the train to O’Hare airport to fly home for the holidays, but ultimately I miss my flight because of the delays. And then, for better or worse, the CTA Holiday Train shows up. It’s a silver lining, or it’s insult to injury—however you want to look at it. Think of it like “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” meets “The Polar Express” with undesirable outcomes and a childlike love of trains. It’s also a love letter to the CTA Holiday Train, which annually makes its rounds through all of Chicago’s elevated train lines throughout the month of December since 1992.

I decided to remake this song because I wanted to release a Christmas song. I started coming up with new ideas but I didn’t have enough time to record a bunch of new tracks. Then I remembered I had this song and it was already kind of wintery and Christmasy and I had some tracks recorded already. By keeping it in the same key as the original version, I was able to keep the drums (which were recorded live with other instruments), the acoustic guitar, and some of the vocals. I kept the lyrics the same in the chorus part (“it’s snowing…”) so I could use those vocals.

 

So I rewrote the lyrics, learned how to sing it, and recorded some new parts. I recorded Wurlitzer electric piano, grand piano, electric guitars, and bass.

 

The album art was a collaboration that started with a sketch done by Alexis Krohn (Instagram: @_whysart_). Then, I used markers to color in the sketch and embellished it with flour for the snow and cardboard cutouts for the letters. Thanks to Noah Thomas for giving me direction and support with the coloring. It was a lot of fun and I’m really proud of how it turned out!

Listen to “Holiday Train Song” on Spotify and everywhere else next Wednesday, December 20, 2024!