Happy Holidays to all! The new Christmas single “AT Christmas” from Swedish Folk/Americana artist Sofia Talvik has arrived.
Talvik has a tradition of writing original Christmas songs and has done so every year for 15 years. In 2017 she released When Winter Comes, a compilation of songs written up till then. The album is a timeless Christmas classic.
When singing about Yuletide, Talvik often focuses on the darker themes around Christmas, and this year’s Christmas tale takes place on the Appalachian Trail where, in December 2004, a hiker in distress named Ben stumbled out of deep snow from the woods along Skyline Drive. He was frozen and barely alive. He had completed over half of his hike on the Appalachian Trail. Sheer willpower and survival instinct had gotten him that far, when, “A park ranger pulled up in a jeep on a bluff above the trail,” says Ben. “Later I would learn that they were looking specifically for me. I’m not sure how far away the ranger was, but I could not yell loud enough to get their attention. The falling snow muffled my voice, and the sound quickly fell flat against the night…”
In the end, poor Ben made it out and was later able to tell his story to Talvik, who in turn was inspired to write the new Christmas single “AT Christmas” (a play on the words AT, Appalachian Trail, and At Christmas, as in at Christmas time). (Read Ben’s entire story here https://sofiatalvik.com/at-christmas-bens-story/)
In Sofia’s version, the hiker might not be so lucky as the inviting snow and exhaustion take hold over him.
Accompanied by North Carolinian artists Drake Duffer (classical guitar) and Peyton Clifford (accordion), who also play on her latest critically acclaimed album Center of the Universe, you can almost hear the cold wind blowing through the trees. Delivering yet another chillingly beautiful Christmas story to her 15-year-long tradition of writing original Christmas songs, “AT Christmas” should have a spot on all holiday playlists.
Listen to the new single here:
https://sofiatalvik.bandcamp.com/track/at-christmas
https://orcd.co/n1wxmzy
Written by Sofia Talvik
Vocals and guitar Sofia Talvik
Classical guitar Drake Duffer
Bass Janne Manninen
Accordion Peyton Clifford
Cello David Floer
Percussion Joakim Lundgren
Produced by Sofia Talvik
Mixed and mastered by Hans Olsson, Svenska Grammofonstudion
Cover Art Photo by Bryce Evans
