“Where’s this song coming from?”, my two-year-old shouts excitedly as Argonaut‘s latest single plays through my phone’s tinny speaker, like something magical has just happened. And I don’t blame her. ’13’ has a beautiful, haunting quality.
The song opens with a dark, dirty bass, which makes singer Lorna’s bittersweet, bubblegum vocals and dreamy melodies even more affecting. “Carefree and young, I remember it well”, she sings, as though casting a longing glance back at her childhood. It’s melancholic, grown-up pop music with a real punk rock sensibility, reminiscent of Blondie, The Primitives or The Waitresses.
A fuzzy, downbeat dream of a song, ’13’ feels like the perfect soundtrack for a lockdown winter. As the days get colder and darker, and we spend even more time away from our friends and family, it’s a lush, lovely thing to get wrapped up in.
Vic Conway
Get In Her Ears 