The O’pears sophomore album Stay Warm illuminates the comfort, darkness, and complexity of the winter holiday season. This isn’t a commercial Christmas album with charming cover songs, blinding tinsel, or any assumption about “the most wonderful time of the year”. Instead, Stay Warm flickers with the glow of family reunions and new love while taking in the chill of blowing snow, drifting hearts, and seasonal solitude. A cappella covers of winter classics are sprinkled between original songs that examine the many ways that the holidays can bring rest, joy, and cheer while also inspiring feelings of loss, grief, and nostalgia. Taken as a whole, Stay Warm is a balanced offering – musically and emotionally – from a trio that mixes tight a cappella and rootsy instrumentation.