Girls – Laura (Youtube)

As befitting a song with a beach based video, there’s a lot of sunshine running through this track. I picked it up from my good friend Jordan Urlacher in his Best of October mix, and it’s certainly up there with the month’s finest.

There’s a lot going on vocally which is probably the main attraction – singer Christopher Owens is at once channeling Elvis Costello and that dude from Hot Hot Heat. Over a song that owes as much to Morrissey as it does the Beach Boys, there’s always a vulnerability that adds a unique charm to Owens’ vocals.