On Nov. 17, pop singer songwriter Sia released her eighth studio album, “Everyday is Christmas,” consisting of 10 original holiday songs. The festive album came as a surprise to many fans of Sia, who is known for songs, such as her 2014 hit “Chandelier,” with intense subject matter and dark lyrics. By creating a holiday album, Sia wanted to branch out from this material and do some thing more fun.

In a “Beats 1” interview with Zane Lowe, Sia revealed that she went into the studio to record the album with the intention of creating original songs, as well as covering a few Christmas classics. Once she got to work, she found the Christmas songwriting process to be easier than she thought and ended up with an entirely original 10-track album.

“I just was having so much fun because it’s already there, all of the concepts, you just have to expand on them,” she said in the interview. “It’s not like you have to have an original idea to begin with. It’s like, ‘okay, so Christmas, mistletoe, right, okay ho-hoho, right okay yeah, Santa Claus, Christmas lists, elves.’ You’ve got all of the subject matter.”

With that in mind, Sia got to work, and before too long had a finished product. “It was easy and fun, so we did it in two weeks” she told Lowe.

Unfortunately for listeners, Sia’s rushed writing process and lack of original subject matter are apparent on “Everyday is Christmas.” The album lacks a sense of direction, and seems to feature a random selection of Christmas buzz words and imagery over upbeat, cheery music. The traditional format of most Christmas songs does not fit Sia’s unique vocal style, exemplified by the nearly unintelligible verses of the first track on the album, “Santa’s Coming For Us” (a title which is more vaguely threatening than festive, in my opinion). “Candy Cane Lane” has a chorus that seems like a better fit for an elementary school Christmas pageant than the second track on a Grammy-nominated songwriter’s eighth studio album: “Candy Cane Lane, bring a friend this holiday / Bring a friend who loves to play, we’ll eat all the candy canes”.

The light, playful attitude of these songs make them seem like a better fit for children, however the rest of the album does not remain as upbeat. “Everyday is Christmas” takes a darker turn with songs such as

“Snowman,” in which Sia uses a melting snowman as imagery for a troubled relationship, and “Ho Ho Ho,” in which she sings about drinking with her holiday guests before leading a chant about whiskey and bourbon. These two songs are definitely not ideal Christmas songs for kids, but the first two songs are not exactly for adults; so, who is this album for?

“Everyday is Christmas” just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. It contradicts itself by being both serious and silly; the light hearted, cheery tracks can’t be taken seriously, and the darker, more serious tracks prevent the album from just being pure, festive fun.

It’s no secret that Sia herself is an extremely talented vocalist and lyricist, so I’m not sure where she went wrong with this album; perhaps it was the lack of time, or the lack of originality or pressure to fit the mold of the style of other popular Christmas songs. While some songs are fun and festive, the majority feel rushed and underwritten, and do not live up to some of her other original, non-holiday content.