By Jaci Jedrych
D.C.-area recording duo Jarrett Nicolay (My New Mixtape/Virginia Coalition) and Olivia Mancini (Olivia and the Mates/Washington Social Club), otherwise known as Astra Via’s, latest Christmas song uses dark humor this holiday season.
“It’s A Prepper Christmas” is their second Christmas song, but the first of what they hope to be an annual series of Christmas songs addressing the niches of society.
“I hope ‘Prepper Christmas’ is the first of many holiday songs we write about the underserved subsets within our society. In fact, we’re already working on next year’s song, ‘It’s a Cosplay Christmas,’” said Nicolay.
COVID-19 and the events of 2021 had a big impact on the idea and lyrics for the song.
“In a country full of differences, prepping brings people together! If you’re in Washington, D.C., and you witnessed police violence at protests, you might be prepping for one outcome; if you’re worried about ‘stop the steal,’ you’ve got other concerns. But either way, survival gear is a lively subject for the whole family to enjoy across the Christmas table,” said Mancini.
The duo has a distinct sound, a bend of rock and pop with a twinge of folk.
This track has been added to our Alchemical Weekly YouTube Playlist.
Jaci Jedrych is a World Politics student at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She loves going to concerts and exploring different genres, and has a passion for arts and news writing.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
