Wild Winter

Wild Winter
Studio album by Smoke Fairies
Released	December 2014
Genre	Alternative dream pop folk rock indie rock
Length	37:48
Label	Full Time Hobby (2014)
Smoke Fairies chronology
Smoke Fairies (2014) Wild Winter (2014) Live at St Pancras Old Church (2015)
Singles from Wild Winter
"Christmas Without a Kiss" Released: 2014

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	76 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Guardian	[3]
NME	[4]

Wild Winter is the fourth studio album by English duo Smoke Fairies, an alternative Winter/Christmas themed record, released in December 2014 on the Full Time Hobby label. ^[5]

Background

Speaking about the album with NPR Music, the band said, "But it was interesting, because writing about the winter seemed to come pretty naturally to us, regardless of what was happening outside. There's so much to say about that time of year. It's an interesting combination — the way it was recorded, the time it was recorded, and the subject matter. I think it's produced something quite strange out of all of that." ^[6]

Following the release, the band played a three-date UK tour in Bristol, Nottingham and London, showcasing the album. ^[7]

The album was released in several formats, including CD, standard black vinyl and limited edition white vinyl (2015), as well as digital download.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Wild Winter, the album was reissued in December 2024 under the band's Year Seven Record label with revised artwork. The band played two concerts, in Hastings and London, to celebrate the event. ^[7] The reissue was available on CD and translucent glitter 'snow globe blizzard' vinyl. ^[8]

Track listing

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Christmas Without a Kiss"	3:18
2.	"Steal Softly Thru Snow"	2:39
3.	"3 Kings"	3:33
4.	"Give and Receive"	4:52
5.	"Circles in the Snow"	4:17

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bad Good"	2:54
2.	"Wild Winter"	4:24
3.	"Snow Globe Blizzard"	3:14
4.	"So Much Wine"	3:59
5.	"Nothing to Divide Us / All Up in the Air"	4:38

Personnel

All personnel credits adapted from Wild Winter album notes.

• All songs written by Smoke Fairies, except "Steal Softly Thru Snow" written by Don Van Vliet, Captain Beefheart and "So Much Wine" written by Brett and Rennie Sparks, The Handsome Family
• Bass guitar - Perry Neech
• Guitar/viola – Neil Walsh
• Vocals, guitar, organ, synths – Jessica Davies
• Vocals, guitar, organ, piano, synths – Katherine Blamire
• Produced, engineered and mixed by Kristofer Harris
• Recorded at Squarehead Studio, Kent by Kristofer Harris
• Photography by Kamil Kostosz
• Published by Mute Song

References

1. "Wild Winter - Smoke Fairies". metacritic.com. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
2. "Wild Winter - Smoke Fairies". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
3. "Smoke Fairies - Wild Winter". thegardian.com. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
4. "Smoke Fairies - Wild Winter". NME. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
5. Wild Winter - Smoke Fairies | Album | AllMusic , retrieved 3 August 2025
6. Staff, N. P. R. (12 December 2015). "'Wild Winter' Inverts The Holiday Album Formula". NPR. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
7. "Smoke Fairies". Bandsintown. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
8. Smoke Fairies - Wild Winter, 13 December 2024, retrieved 3 August 2025