Releasing a free holiday EP has become an annual tradition for Said the Whale, and this year is no different, as the band has just released the two-song West Coast Christmas EP 2010. “It was kind of last-minute and a little bit experimental,” vocalist-guitarist Tyler Bancroft told the Straight. “What’s cool about it is that people don’t really have any expectations, because every song that we’ve put out for a Christmas EP has been so different.”

The 2010 installment is similarly varied, with this year’s home-recorded songs sounding nothing like what fans are used to from the sunny pop-rock outfit. “Brightest on the Street” is a shimmering, falsetto-laden R&B ballad, while the funkified “24 Days” features an onslaught of choppy guitars and thudding electro beats. Of the latter, Bancroft says, “We just tried to make it sound as dance-y as possible.”

Watch for the free EP at Said the Whale's website.