The Assist release 'Divorced For Christmas' today!

DOCUMENT THE TROUBLES OF THE FESTIVE SEASON WITH THE NEW SINGLE

‘DIVORCED FOR CHRISTMAS’

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

“I spoke to Father Christmas, he’s off ‘til January. I asked him for my girl back, I miss my only love.

He said I’m on the naughty list, I’ve not been good enough.”

If you spin a classic Christmas playlist, you’ll find almost every song celebrates the wonders of the season. But for most of us, Christmas just isn’t that simple: it’s a time of year when the turkey just won’t defrost, when the last train to see the parents is cancelled, and when there’s an icy silence because nan is angry at granddad for drinking all the whisky before lunch. The Assist know those festive fails all too well and now playfully document the season’s struggles in their new single ‘Divorced For Christmas’.

‘Divorced For Christmas’ is set to a wall-of-sound that recalls the classic ‘A Christmas Gift For You All’ album: an effervescent piano melody, bouncy, infectious rhythms and sweetly cooed vocal harmonies all setting the uplifting tone for the festivities. Yet the surface level joy is countered by a story of Christmas going wrong on every level - break-ups, bust-ups and no sign of Santa’s sack. So what can you do but make the best of it and drink some more wine? But whatever your personal experience is, ‘Divorced For Christmas’ has all the hallmarks of a future festive favourite.

Vocalist Mikey Stanton says, “I absolutely love Christmas and I was very lucky to have had lots of family around me at Christmas time as a child. Despite all the love in our house, it was a family tradition of ours to have a good old fashioned row on Christmas day. Not all families are perfect and I’ve always taken pride in staying loyal to the truth in the stories that I tell in my music. This track is not a means of dispelling the elation and magic that Christmas brings, but it is a reminder to everyone that Christmas is not always how it is portrayed to be in the movies.”

Aside from their own personal experiences, The Assist were further inspired to write a Christmas song because of their hometown of Walsall - the birthplace of Slade’s Noddy Holder, the vocalist and co-writer of arguably the greatest Christmas song ever, ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’. They then took the song to another level by inviting Birmingham solo artist Rhianna Keane (The Voice UK) to contribute angelic duet vocals to its acerbic lyrics.

Not content with simply dropping an immediate Christmas cracker, The Assist also share the song’s video. The Assist lads are deep into the full swaying singalong drinks party, cut between a visualisation of the song’s story. Just as if it looks as if the couple will be getting ‘Divorced For Christmas’, a ‘Gremlins’-esque surprise saves the day. At Christmas, all’s well that ends well…

The Assist are brothers Mikey (vocals) and Ryan Stanton (guitar), Louis Davies (guitar), Jorge Poole (bass) and Luke Ford (drums). Their two albums so far, ‘Council-Pop’ (2021) and ‘Disconnections’ (2025), have both scaled the Independent Album Charts, each speaking direct to their generation while soaking their soaring indie anthems with hip-hop-inflected beats, dance-tinged rhythms and emotive breakdowns.

That eclectic adventurism has earned airplay across Radio 6, Radio X and BBC Introducing from new music champions such as Tom Robinson, Steve Lamacq and John Kennedy. They’ve played shows with Blossoms, The Twang, Dylan John Thomas and The Rifles, while festivals have included the Isle of Wight, TRNSMT, Truck and Y NOT? Having sold-out a UK tour in the summer, they end 2025 with a Christmas party show at Muthers Studio, Birmingham on December 13th - tickets are available HERE.