Christmas in the City (Pentatonix album)
Pentatonix's seventh Christmas album, released October 24, 2025.
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Pentatonix released their seventh Christmas album, Christmas in the City, on October 24, 2025. This twelfth studio album for the a cappella group includes guest vocals from Frank Sinatra and JoJo. It debuted at number six on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart and is their first project with Republic Records. A deluxe edition arrives October 30, 2026.
Background and development
Pentatonix said the title and idea for Christmas in the City came from the "magic of Christmastime in New York," aiming for a sound that felt "whimsical, jazzy, cozy and classy" like a spur-of-the-moment trip to a snowy city. It was their first album on Republic Records. The concept started when Scott Hoying saw a holiday ornament at a New York festive market. He told BroadwayWorld the group wanted a "big band orchestral sound" like Dean Martin’s, with Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole also as influences.
Hoying explained the album is "vocal-heavy" but with instruments throughout, similar to Manhattan Transfer, and called it genre-fluid with "no rules," mixing songs that feel like a Fosse musical with plenty of original material. He described the project as "fun and bold and theatrical and camp." iHeart said the album brings Pentatonix’s "signature vocal magic into a wintery New York-inspired holiday soundscape," blending originals with "jazzy takes on classics" in a "cozy, whimsical, and classily arranged" collection.
On August 6, 2026, the group announced a deluxe edition of Christmas in the City, out October 30, 2026, alongside a new North American tour leg. The deluxe version expands the original 16 tracks with 10 new songs, two covers, and seven live recordings. The announcement included the single "Get Happy / Happy Days Are Here Again," a mashup Kirstin Maldonado said was a tribute to "the classic Christmas tunes of Hollywood's Golden Age and the timeless jazz era."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snow | Irving Berlin | 0:21 |
| 2 | Christmas in the City | Dave Pierce, Scott Hoying | 3:20 |
| 3 | Holly Jolly Christmas | Johnny Marks | 2:54 |
| 4 | Santa Be Good to My Baby | Grassi, S. Hoying, Pierce, Marcus Lomax, Gian Stone | 2:59 |
| 5 | Bah Humbug | S. Hoying, Pierce, Mark Hoying | 3:50 |
| 6 | Snowing in Paris (featuring JoJo) | M. Hoying, S. Hoying, Pierce | 3:41 |
| 7 | Christmas Movie | S. Hoying, Lomax, Sallee, Stone, Sean Douglas, Kevin Olusola | 3:05 |
| 8 | Caroling, Caroling | Alfred Burt, Wihla Hutson | 0:35 |
| 9 | The Love Medley | Berlin, Frank Pooler, Hugh Martin, Kim Gannon, Ralph Blane, Richard Carpenter, Walter Kent | 4:40 |
| 10 | Silver Bells | Jay Livingston, Ray Evans | 3:19 |
| 11 | I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (with Frank Sinatra) | Berlin | 2:27 |
| 12 | Moody Rudy | S. Hoying, Maldonado, Marks, Olusola, Sallee, Chuck Berry, Joseph Garland, Marvin Brodie | 2:42 |
| 13 | Blitzen | S. Hoying, Pierce | 1:42 |
| 14 | Elf | S. Hoying, Maldonado, Olusola, Pierce | 2:52 |
| 15 | Humankind | S. Hoying, Pierce | 4:15 |
| 16 | Christmas Classics Medley | Berlin, Blain, Carpenter, Gannon, Kent, Martin, Pooler | 3:22 |
| Total length | 46:05 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Reception
Christmas in the City received praise from several critics in 2025. Associated Press writer Maria Sherman named it among the year's best new holiday releases, highlighting how the album captures the enchantment of city life during the season and the group's vocal agility.
Jan Gebauer of Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger called it a standout Christmas album, emphasizing its layered harmonies, tight rhythms, and stylistic range. Marc Uytterhaeghe of L'Avenir also recommended it. However, Eric Saeger of Hippo gave the album a B−, finding the original songs mostly weak while complimenting the group's renditions of classic carols.
Did You Know?
- The album features a posthumous appearance of Frank Sinatra on the song "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm".
- The track "Moody Rudy" is a mashup of "In the Mood" and "Run Rudolph Run".
- "The Love Medley" is not contained on any physical release of the album.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who produced Christmas in the City (Pentatonix album)?
Christmas in the City was produced by Pentatonix, Ben Bram, Dave Pierce, Gian Stone, Marcus Lomax and others.
How long is Christmas in the City (Pentatonix album)?
Christmas in the City runs 46:05.
More in Republic Records Albums
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Christmas in the City (Pentatonix album) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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