Neon Trees’ “Animal” is one of my favorite tunes of 2010 (comprehensive list coming at the end of December), and now the Provo, Utah quartet has turned in a song for the holidays that also hits a sweet pop spot, “Wish List.”

Bassist Branden Campbell tells Billboard that the Neon Trees’ new tune “sounds like we’ve been listening to a lot of Spoon and old Phil Spector or something.” It’s definitely a peppy little ditty, with the obligatory sleigh bells one expects to hear on a Christmas number, but the song has deeper roots; “Wish List” was actually inspired by the plight of U.S. troops who are apart from their loved ones for the holidays. 

“When you’re in a band, you go out on tour and think, ‘Oh, I’ve been gone for three weeks, boo-hoo,’ and then there’s people like that who are gone for so long,” Campbell explains. “I could just imagine that if they could have anything, especially at that time of the year, it would be those people they love.” But because the desire to celebrate the holidays in the company of family and friends really is a universal one, the message of “Wish List” will resonate with you too, whether you’re among the enlisted or are otherwise separated by geography this season: 

Free download of Neon Trees – “Wish List” via iTunes.