Toronto-based blues and rock outfit 5 Neat Guys dropped “Unwrap You At Christmas” back in October as the first taste of their fifth studio album and second holiday collection, PLAY CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!, which came out in November. The album title comes from a real moment a few years back when the band was performing a pre-Christmas gig with only a handful of seasonal songs. They filled the gaps with their usual rock and blues repertoire until the event organiser passed them a note that read: “Play Christmas Music!!” The phrase stuck.
Formed in 2016 by Doug Hibovski as a one-off project bringing together four adult music students from his music school, the band clicked and evolved into a fixture at Toronto’s local festivals, street parties, and pubs. “Unwrap You At Christmas” leans into that vintage blues and rock ‘n roll sound they’re known for, complete with a playful double entendre that lead vocalist Ed Lounsbury describes as either cheeky or innocent depending on how you hear it. Maybe it’s about unwrapping presents, maybe it’s about something else entirely. The mid-song mouth-trumpet solo was originally a placeholder that sounded so perfectly goofy they kept it in the final cut.
Musically, all the bells (pun intended) and whistles of a Christmas-themed composition are here. The drums specifically deserve all the praise here because without that delicious swing, this song would ultimately feel cheesy and not in a fun way, but thankfully, the drums got plenty of swing. The trumpets and bass bring the bounce to the rhythm section and complement the drums very well, and they highlight the song’s main wholesome melody.
5 Neat Guys have been refining their sound across four studio albums, and “Unwrap You At Christmas” shows they know how to have fun without taking themselves too seriously. The vintage-inspired production and that ridiculous mouth-trumpet solo prove they’re willing to commit to the bit. With PLAY CHRISTMAS MUSIC!! Now out and the band continuing to build their reputation through local and internet radio, they’ve carved out their niche as Toronto’s go-to for classic blues and rock with a sense of humour. If you need a Christmas song that rocks without being saccharine, this does the job.
