American singer-songwriter and pianist Tori Amos has shared a new Christmas single called “Better Angels.” The song is featured on her newly-released EP, Christmastide.
“Better Angels” is a theatrical, piano-heavy ballad featuring her mezzo-soprano vocals and exaggerated guitar riffs. The song pleads with Heaven to help people be better versions of themselves and talks about the need for change. She released a lyric video along with the track.
In the song, Amos sings lines such as “Oh, what a year to be here / On this little rock, third from the sun / And we need some mercy,” and “Heaven, help us / Out of this never-ending spell / Our better angels / I see, see me.”
Amos announced the four-track Christmastide EP in November, and it was released Dec. 4 via Decca Records. The EP features original tracks from her and was released both digitally and on vinyl. In August, heavy metal guitarist Stephen Brodsky covered Amos’ song “China,” which first appeared on her 1992 debut album Little Earthquakes.
Many artists have been releasing Christmas-themed songs this year, including New Jersey-based post-hardcore band Senses Fail, who released an EP called Christmas Has Been Cancelled Due to Lack of Hustle. Dee Snider and Lzzy Hale put a metal twist on Christmas classic “The Magic of Christmas Day,” and progressive metal act Devin Townsend debuted a cover of the classic “Silent Night.” He also held a livestream event called “A Very Devy Christmas” on Dec. 23.