Listen to Sufjan Stevens’ New Song “On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better)”

Labor Day may be just barely behind us, but Sufjan Stevens is already in the holiday spirit. Today, the singer announced a new compilation, Worst Christmas Ever!, due November 6 via Asthmatic Kitty. The 16-track collection compiles a mix of Yuletide standards done up Stevens style (“Angels We Have Heard on High (Christmas Infinity Voyage Version)”) and originals from his extensive holiday catalog. Among them is a newly unearthed vault track, “On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better),” which you can listen to below.Stevens’ love for Christmas is no new passion—according to a statement, he has written and recorded more than 100 Christmas songs since 2001. Worst Christmas Ever! features a number of tracks that previously appeared on his Songs for Christmas, Vols. 1-5 and the 2012 box set Silver & Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols. 6-10. Collaborators across the record include the National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry, Cat Martino, Gabriel Kahane, and Casey Foubert.Although Stevens hasn’t released a new album since 2023’s Javelin, he has remained active in the years since. In 2024, a stage adaptation of his album Illinois was nominated for a Tony Award f...