It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas.

Sure, the calendar on the wall says it’s still only September, but pop stars are already busy getting ready for the holiday (music) season.

Journey legend Steve Perry is one of the first out of the gates with the release of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” the new single from the forthcoming holiday offering “The Season.” The album – Perry’s first full-length seasonal outing – is due out Nov. 5 on Fantasy Records. Yet, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is available to stream now via Spotify, Amazon Music and other retailers. People can also watch the video on YouTube.

“I hope when people hear this record, they’re teleported in the same way I was when I recorded all these songs – I hope it brings them back to those golden moments with their loved ones and gives them that feeling of joy and connection and comfort that we all need so much,” Perry says.

The album continues eight tracks, consisting of six Christmas tunes and two New Year’s Eve favorites. The songs are “The Christmas Song,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Auld Lang Syne,” “Winter Wonderland,” What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “Silver Bells” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

Perry says he hopes these eight tracks send listeners to the place they find the most comforting during the holiday season. For Perry, that place is his grandmother’s house.

“When I was recording vocals for ‘I’ll be Home For Christmas,’ as I was singing ‘please have snow and mistletoe and presents under the tree” … I was emotionally thrown into standing in my grandmother’s house staring through the door that I always hung mistletoe and then I saw her beautiful Christmas tree in front of her living room window,” he says. “I had to stop singing because it felt like I was really there – I was a bit stunned.

“Back home for Christmas is where everyone wants to be!”


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