A Very Merry Saturday Summary

The arrival of the holiday season brings a surge of emotions: unrequited affection, nostalgia for loved ones, the exhilaration of classic rock, and moments of quiet reflection by the Christmas tree. This week’s Saturday Summary explores the dynamic landscape of music releases.

Freya Skye’s new single “silent treatment” is the kind of post-Disney, post-ZOMBIES anthem that makes growing up in public feel both glittery and raw. It is crisp, modern pop built for playlists about boundaries and bruised feelings, and it quietly marks Freya's full entry into her own artist era outside the Disney universe.

From there we head straight into rock-girl Christmas territory. The Pretty Reckless – “Where Are You Christmas?” turns the Grinch classic into a full-blown stadium power ballad. Taylor Momsen literally reclaims Cindy Lou Who, revisiting the song she first sang as a kid and flipping it into a darkly shimmering epic tied to the band’s new EP, Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas. It feels like watching your childhood movie become a rock show in real time.

If that is not enough cross-generational wildness, Aerosmith, YUNGBLUD and Lainey Wilson – “Wild Woman” arrives as a full rock handshake between eras. The track, from the collaborative One More Time project, pairs Steven Tyler’s rasp with YUNGBLUD’s bite and Lainey’s country grit, landing somewhere between classic sleaze rock and modern festival anthem. It sounds like leather jackets, eyeliner, and a truck stop at 2 a.m. in the best way.

On the softer side of the emotional spectrum, Alex Warren – “Eternity (with Gigi Perez)” leans into grief and devotion. The new version turns his already vulnerable song into a duet where two voices trade verses about losing someone and trying to hold on anyway. It is the kind of track that makes you text your group chat “no I am fine, just emotionally unwell” and then hit replay.

For the scene kids in our readership, Panic! At The Disco – “Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off (Demo)” is like opening an old MySpace folder you thought you deleted. Hearing the bones of a mid-2000s classic in rougher, demo form is a reminder that these songs started as messy ideas in small rooms before they were soundtrack staples for an entire generation of eyeliner wearers.

Newcomer Freddie Halkon – “Shoulders Of The World” brings the indie-rock glow up of the week. The title track to his debut EP sounds like standing on a seaside cliff with all your worries and dreams stacked on top of each other. Guitars shimmer, the chorus climbs, and it is easy to hear why UK press are hyping him as a name to watch going into 2026.

Over in alt-universe land, Djo – “Fly ” gives us a trippy, hand-crafted visual that matches his warped psych-pop perfectly. Directed and written by Zach Martin, the animation leans into surreal colours and bendy perspectives, turning the song into a little short film about slipping out of your own skin for a moment.

Then there is Sam Fender – “The Treadmill”, which might be the most on-brand Sam Fender title ever. Released as part of the new deluxe People Watching package, the song turns self-doubt, burnout and emotional slog into a slow-building, cathartic indie rock track. The lyric video keeps the focus on the words, which feel like a late-night debrief with your most honest mate.

On the internet-core side of pop, MR. FANTASY – “Catapult” is pure maximalist chaos in the best way. The video follows his 70s-coded alter ego around Miami and then, quite literally, into space, matching the funk-pop track’s sense of lift-off. With TikTok still arguing about whether he is secretly actor KJ Apa, this single feels like the moment the character steps out of the phone screen and onto actual stages, especially after that Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut.

At the opposite end of the mood board, Jessie J – “I’ll Never Know Why” is a raw, grief-soaked ballad written in memory of her late bodyguard and friend. The official video doubles down on that intimacy, letting her deliver the song almost like a conversation with someone who is no longer in the room. Coming in the middle of a year where she has been open about cancer treatment and trauma, the track feels like part confessional, part hug for anyone who has lost someone too soon.

The Neighbourhood – “Lovebomb” adds a slow-burn, cinematic ache, its new video framing the song as a study in longing and emotional shrapnel. Between the official music video and recent live performances, it feels like the band is leaning back into their moody, black-and-white universe but with a little more grown-up tenderness mixed in.

From Aotearoa to the world, Cassie Henderson – “Good Luck, Babe!” takes the Chappell Roan smash and filters it through Cassie’s own lens. After going viral with her performance on The Voice Australia, she has now delivered a full studio version and music video that lean into big vocals and emotional storytelling, cementing her as one of the breakout Kiwi voices of the moment.

Boyband nation also gets a treat. CD9 – “ROCKSTAR” (Lyric Video) marks the Mexican pop group’s official comeback, fusing glossy pop, rock edges and electronic touches. The lyric video lets fans sing along immediately, and across Latin media this track is being framed as the start of a whole new chapter for the group, chosen directly by their fandom as the “we are back” moment.

Legacy rock fans are eating too. Guns N’ Roses – “Nothin’” arrives alongside new track “Atlas”, their first fresh material since 2023. “Nothin’” plays like a reflective piano-led ballad that slowly builds into a Slash-powered guitar release, and the visualizer keeps the focus on the mood while the band gears up for a 2026 world tour.

And of course, in the land of pop overlords, Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia (The Chainsmokers Remix)” takes a folklore-coded story song and lifts it into dancefloor territory. The remix keeps the narrative bones and emotional punch of the original while adding a glossy electronic build, turning Ophelia’s doomed arc into something you could cry-dance to at 1am.

If you are building your December playlist, this is the week to do it. Forrest Frank and JVKE’s Christmas project continues to unfold, and the track “CHRISTmas” sits at the heart of it, sitting alongside songs like “Christmas Morning” and “this is what christmas feels like”. Together they blend worship lyrics, bedroom-pop production and social-media ready hooks into something that feels like youth group, TikTok and candlelit service all colliding in one EP.

Nostalgia fans get their fix with Train – “Shake Up Christmas (Official Tahoe Version)”, a cosy, snow-dusted revisit of a now-classic 2010s holiday song. The Tahoe-branded cut ties back to their Christmas In Tahoe era and gives the track a fresh visual push, reminding everyone that sometimes you just want bells, cocoa and a chorus you know by heart.

Over in Ireland, Picture This – “It’s Christmas Time” delivers a big, arms-around-your-mates anthem. The video leans into fairy lights, togetherness and that slightly chaotic energy of hometown nights out when everyone is back for the holidays, tying into their new festive EP of the same name.

Reality-TV-to-pop darlings 3Quency – “This Christmas (3Q Version)” offer a more R&B-and-pop hybrid. Coming off their breakout on Netflix’s Building The Band, the single feels like the moment they step out of “contestant” status and officially into “your new favourite group” territory, with a hook that sounds built for mall speakers and social clips alike.

Jazz girlies and sad-holiday enjoyers are served by Laufey – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”. The new claymation clip puts her in a stop-motion winter wonderland that looks like a vintage TV special and sounds like a smoky late-night club, continuing her run of quietly dominating the Christmas jazz charts two years in a row.

On the Little Mix alumni front, Perrie – “Christmas Magic” strips her festive single back to something softer and more intimate. The fan-made visual, officially embraced and released, stitches together supporter footage and candlelit imagery, turning the song into a love letter between artist and fandom as much as a Christmas track.

And that wraps this week’s Saturday scroll. From viral alter egos in red speedos to claymation jazz and rock legends dropping surprise piano ballads, this week basically delivered an entire December soundtrack with a little gift for everyone on that nice list. Queue these up, light something that smells like cinnamon, and let us know which video you end up rewatching the most so we can scream about it with you in the next Groovy Moo recap!