As we step into these closing weeks of the year, not everyone finds comfort in jingling bells and glittering cheer. Sometimes, the softer side of December—the hush that settles after the laughter fades, the quiet weight of long nights—feels more honest. That’s why I’m sharing “Sad Songs from an Old Goth in a Tree,” a darkwave-leaning holiday album I’ve put together, available now for free download or streaming. Think of it as a small gift for those who don’t quite fit into the usual seasonal mold.
This album isn’t just about gloom, though it doesn’t shy away from it. It’s about letting the season’s quieter moments breathe. Maybe you’re the kind of person who watches snowfall through a frosted window, wrapped in a blanket and weighing the year’s uncertainties. If so, these songs might meet you where you are, offering a gentle soundtrack to acknowledge both the darkness outside and the softer shadows inside.
Throughout the tracklist, you’ll find nods to familiar holiday tunes, turned slightly askew to fit a moodier frame—“All I Want For Xmas is (Cthu)’Thu(Lu)” tips a hat to cosmic horrors lurking just beneath the tinsel. But there’s also a personal tenderness woven in. The final track, “Swan Song,” was hard to write and harder to mix this year. Since being diagnosed with hearing damage over the summer, every step of this project has been a little more challenging and a little heavier on the heart. In some ways, this album represents one road’s end. But it’s a road I’ve loved traveling with you, sharing these moments and sounds, season after season, heartbeat after quiet heartbeat.
All of this ties into a larger world I’m building—the upcoming novel “The Sun Also Rises on Cthulhu,” due April 1, 2025. Available for preorder now on Amazon in Ebook, Paperback, and a special Hardcover edition, this book takes my love of Hemingway’s spare style and splices it with echoes of distant eldritch whispers. There’s more info at jorahkai.com/cthulhu, where you can also find links to other projects—like the synth-laced “Voidwalker” soundtrack, a short book trailer, and more glimpses into this strange universe I’m piecing together.
If you’re seeking solace away from the bright din and empty chatter, I hope these songs and this moment of reflection can offer a bit of warmth. It’s been an honor to take this journey with you, and it truly has meant the world to me.
