The Debutantes "Reunited (Merry Christmas)"

 

Artwork for "Reunited (Merry Christmas)" by the Debutantes, 2020. That's Lavinia George-Veale on the left and Victoria George-Veale on the right.

50% of the proceeds from the sale of the single will go to the Mental Health Foundation.

I became a fan of The Debutantes over the summer, when I heard their retro-1960’s inspired songs and terrific harmonies. The Debutantes are two sisters from Wales, Victoria and Lavinia George-Veale, and they have just released their fourth single, “Reunited (Merry Christmas).” I reviewed the Debutantes’ three previous singles in this post—you should check those songs out as well.

“Reunited (Merry Christmas)” was written by Alan Jones, the manager and producer of the Debutantes, and 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the single will go to the Mental Health Foundation. Mental health is a subject that the sisters are passionate about, as Victoria’s work as the face of the “Women of Heart Awards” has focused on mental health issues and awareness.

While the Debutantes’ first three singles have a retro, 1960’s flavor to them, “Reunited (Merry Christmas)” has a timeless sound that isn’t tied to any one era. The song opens with bagpipes, which always put me in a wistful mood that fits well with the song. The verses of the song are sad, but the chorus is upbeat and hopeful. The mixture of emotions in the song fits well with the Christmas season—we experience sorrow when remembering those who are no longer with us, but hopefully we’re making happy new memories, and are thankful for what we have now. Certainly in 2020, Christmas will be a season full of many emotions, as so many people around the world have experienced devastating losses this year.

Victoria and Lavinia were kind enough to send me some of their own memories of Christmas: “Christmas growing up in Wales was our favorite time of year when we would spend our holiday relaxing, watching films, eating and spending time together. Our Christmas Eve was just as important to us as Christmas Day itself, routinely spent visiting our favourite garden centre to see Father Christmas, attending a church service in the evening and then singing jolly Christmas carols around our Mum playing the piano and sometimes Dad would get his violin out! Memories like these stay with you forever and make you realize how important it is to spend Christmas with each other.” It’s clear to see that it was easy for the Debutantes to find the right emotions for this song.

As with all the Debutantes’ songs, the harmonies on “Reunited (Merry Christmas)” are outstanding. Listen closely to the harmonies on the backing vocals, which are all performed by Victoria and Lavinia. Both Victoria and Lavinia have excellent voices that are warm and inviting, and if you need a new Christmas song to put in the rotation, “Reunited (Merry Christmas)” will fit the bill nicely. There’s also a fun video for the song, which the Debutantes filmed separately. Because they filmed their parts separately, the video fits very nicely with the theme of the song, as the sisters hope to be reunited at Christmas.

“Reunited (Merry Christmas)” is available on iTunes, Amazon, or wherever you go for music these days.