Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, revered as the creative forces behind the band Luna and celebrated solo artists, have long been architects of indie music’s dreamy, melancholic core. Wareham, a defining voice and guitarist for Galaxie 500, and Phillips now gift us a holiday album that feels refreshingly inventive and deeply nostalgic.
A Peace of Us is a perfect companion in a season that calls for comfort, tradition, and the warmth of shared memories. This holiday collection draws together not just Dean and Britta but also Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3, a figure equally pivotal to the evolution of indie music.
The result is a richly textured album that roams across genres, weaving threads of ‘60s pop, garage rock, country ballads, James Bond soundtracks, classic carols, and electronica. It’s got a bit of everything.
The album’s creation was a natural evolution. It began with occasional Christmas covers, followed by a pandemic-era holiday special, and culminated in collaborative recording sessions: Wareham and Phillips in L.A., Sonic Boom in Portugal.
Together, they reimagine the holiday spirit with their signature ethereal haze: Wareham’s guitar textures, Phillips’ grounding bass and keyboards, and Sonic Boom’s atmospheric effects and mixes.
All three contribute vocals, creating harmonies that are haunting yet comforting. As Britta cheekily puts it, the result is “like Bing Crosby…on acid.”
A Peace of Us doesn’t shy away from the complexity of the holidays. Beneath the twinkle lights and festivities, there’s a shadow of melancholy. This is most evident in Wareham’s rendition of “Snow is Falling in Manhattan,” one of the final songs by David Berman.
Its poignant lyrics—“Songs build little rooms in time / and housed within the song’s design / is the ghost the host has left behind”—carry an aching beauty.
The bittersweet tone lingers in their version of Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper.” Transformed into a sultry duet between Britta and Sonic Boom, the track is propelled by pulsating synths, casting the song in a moody, nightclub glow rather than its original honky-tonk roots.
But the trio also knows how to celebrate. Their take on “Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy,” inspired by the famous Bing Crosby-David Bowie duet, channels an entirely new energy.
The track builds from his wistful tenor to Sonic Boom’s resonant baritone, finally crowned by Phillips’ soothing contralto. Together, they craft a heartfelt plea for peace that feels universal and urgent.
As the album’s notes linger, so does its central message: that even amid the complexities and contradictions of the holiday season, there’s solace to be found in shared music and humanity. In a year where we may need it more than ever, A Peace of Us lights a candle in the dark and invites us to gather close.
Check out A Peace of Us by Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom on Bandcamp.
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