Merry Christmas by Pleasure Systems
PV-777
Today, Pleasure Systems, the songwriting project of NYC-based musician Clarke Sondermann, shares “Merry Christmas,” his first new material in over a year and a preview of Sondermann’s new collaboration with producer Ivan Berko (Fcukers, Rahill Jamalifard). A meditation on holidays as marking points in time, “Merry Christmas” is not quite Christmas music, instead utilizing familiar winter imagery as a backdrop for self-reflection on cyclical relationships and past versions of oneself.
The release also comes with a limited edition 7” from Athens, GA-based label Primordial Void – the 7” (as well as digital download purchases) features an exclusive B-side, “Singing In My Sleep (Demo).”
The first of many new songs produced by Ivan Berko at Cultural Export Studios, “Merry Christmas” features additional vocals by celebrated singer-songwriter May Rio and drums from Sondermann’s longtime collaborator Grant Chapman. The album cover features acclaimed Kentucky-based painter Mike Ousley’s 2022 work Winter Bear.
“Merry Christmas” is the first new Pleasure Systems material since 2023’s “Everything I Need,” featuring Melody English, which Nylon Magazine called “a small but mighty song about the simple but unparalleled pleasures of living in the real world.” The single follows last week’s release of Live, Under The First Floor, a newly unearthed acoustic session recorded shortly after the release of the last Pleasure Systems LP, Visiting The Well (2021, Orchid Tapes) featuring alternate arrangements of songs including the viral single “Blur.”
Tracklist
| 1. | Merry Christmas | 2:53 |
| 2. | Merry Christmas (Ever Ending Kicks Remix) | 2:36 |
| 3. | Merry Christmas (Dog in the Evening Remix) | 3:04 |
| 4. | Merry Christmas (Felt Out Remix) | 3:11 |
Credits
“Merry Christmas”
Written and Performed by Clarke Sondermann
Produced by Ivan Berko at Cultural Export Studios
Drums engineered by Brian DiMeglio at Brooklyn Recording Paradise
Drums by Grant Chapman
Additional vocals by May Rio
Mixed by Ivan Berko
Mastered by Warren Hildebrand
“Signing in My Sleep (Demo)”
Written, Performed, and Produced by Clarke Sondermann
Mastered by Warren Hildebrand
Cover Painting by Mike Ousley
pleasuresystems.bandcamp.com
