While you were snuggled up in a warm blanket questioning why the sun recently stopped rising before 7am, a few brave artists released new music to try and make these winter months just a little more comfortable. For those questioning why artists releasing music at the end of the year might be considered “brave”, there’s one key reason: they’ve missed the cutoff date to be included in that year’s Grammy nominations. As a result, chart-topping pop hits will often take a backseat to covers, instrumentals, and more obscure indie songs will a snowball’s chance in hell of winning a Grammy. For example, Iron & Wine dropped a gorgeous rendition of American Football’s classic indie song “Never Meant” as a part of a 25th anniversary cover album of American Football’s trademark self-titled debut. Similarly, Hovvdy released a heartbreaking, stripped-down twist on their song Bubba with the new Swiftie-triggering title “Bubba – Julie’s Version“. Even the ever-brilliant artistic stylings of Youth Lagoon chomped at the bit to release an instrumental single “the harvest” reminiscent of a vague, wintery revelation. It’s a cozy time of year for new music as long as you have the patience to search a little harder than normal to find your latest earworm. This playlist pays homage to those brave, thankless released that came out at the end of the year, as always with a limit of one song per artist. Stay warm!