Ever since their inception in 2008, Puss N Boots have been more of a live band than a studio concern. They'd play regularly, particularly in Brooklyn, prior to their 2014 debut No Fools, No Fun, and they continued to gig sporadically over the next five years, settling into a regular Puss N Boots Christmas Extravaganza in Williamsburg around 2016. That show is the inspiration for 2019's Dear Santa…, an EP that's the trio's first recording in five years. Warm, funny, and a bit sexy, Dear Santa… doesn't take the holidays too seriously, yet certainly uses the season as a reason to have a good time. Sometimes, the trio's humor is blue, as it is on the cheerfully profane, even blasphemous "Christmas Butt," where Catherine Popper sings "eat sh**, commercial smut/today is Santa's birthday." That's the goofiest moment on the EP, but Puss N Boots conjure a woozy charm on their dreamy barroom rendition of "Silent Night." Still, the heart of Dear Santa… lies in the loping country tune "Christmas All Over Again," the ragged crawl of "The Great Romancer," and especially the romantic "It's Not Christmas 'Til You Come Home," tunes which capture the sophisticated yet simple charms of Puss N Boots and the good cheer of the season.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo