Alison Sudol released a Christmas song earlier this month. “Christmas Will Be Waiting” is smooth and as uplifting as it is sobering. The song was released with cover artwork depicting a mother holding a daughter who is face-painted, not-too over extravagantly in clown makeup.

If the child’s makeup gives any impression of a silly song, it is not doing its job. Sudol’s lyrics and progressions reach toward territory of lullabies and ballads. A mother reassures her child, Christmas will be waiting. In three parts, the music picks up more instruments as it sails on open seas through its three minute window. By the end, drums accent each beat and bells recede into the music just as quickly as they return. The song trails off into a peaceful trance; perhaps the child fell asleep.

Sudol is most widely known for her appearance in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, a movie set in the world of Harry Potter, as Queenie Goldstein. Her career as a musician has more scope than her output in acting but has awarded her less fame. The new song, released at a time of December when children crumble under the pressure of Christmas being so close yet so far away, graces her fans with a truly excellent display of her voice and musical sensibility. Watch it below.

Photography Credit: Raymond Flotat