Kate Stables, the English-born, Paris-based singer-songwriter who records beautiful folk-tinged rock music under the name This Is The Kit, is about to take a break from the touring behind her stupendous 2015 album Bashed Out. To celebrate the respite, she’s releasing a holiday-themed single featuring two Christmas classics. The A-side, a cover of Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas standard “Christmas Time Is Here,” has been on Amazon for a while, but the B-side is brand new today. It’s an English translation of Argentine composer Ariel Ramírez’s “La Peregrinacion,” which translates to “The Pilgrimage.” Both songs are spare, sprightly, and achingly beautiful, so check them out below along with some background info from Stables.

Here’s Stables on the cover art:

*Christmas can be a good time for indulging in a dose or two of nostalgia, so i thought it’d be fun to use some old family Christmas photos for this release.*
*Christmas with my twin sister and two older sisters was the the bestest of times, so it’s nice to revisit those times, when we all fitted under one roof together.*

Regarding “Christmas Time Is Here,” she writes:

A total tune.
It’s always a pleasure to sing a lovely melody.
Plus Vince Guaraldi is a tour van favorite of ours, especially of our drummer jamie Whitby-Coles, who is playing the Joao Gilberto inspired gentle high hat percussion on this recording.
A melancholy contrast to the upbeat and more Biblical Ramirez track.
Christmas is often a time of thoughtful reflection or a bit of an emotional dip for some people so it’s nice to have a go at expressing or acknowledging that.
Recorded at home by Jesse D Vernon with Jamie Whitby-Coles on high hat percussion, Jesse playing some strings and Vincent Mougel on synth sounds.

And here’s her take on “La Peregrinacion”:

One of mine and Jesse’s favourite tracks from one of our favourite records ever.
An Ariel Ramirez record with La Misa Criolla on one side and his Navidad Nuestra on the other side.
The original is in Spanish. We found a very loose translation and went with it.
Nativity lyrics are always tricky.
It’s best to just embrace the Christmas spirit and go with it 😉
recorded by JB Deucher at Midi Live Studio
With the musical genius joinings in of Jesse D Vernon (voice and guitar, Mabit Moreno (flute, bass, and voice)
and Vincent Mougel (voice and keyboards)

Both songs hit digital retailers and streaming services next Friday, 11/18. Here’s a picture of Stables celebrating Christmas as a child: