My Top 1000 Songs #180: Treason

I've written frequently about my love for long-running New Zealand indie pop band The Bats, and especially their absolutely charming 1987 debut Daddy's Highway. And while I could point to half the songs on that album as personal favorites, I think that charm is best captured in "Treason." There's nothing groundbreaking or attention-grabbing about the song; it's just pure, unpretentious sweetness, the warm embrace of that special someone. The disarming vocals, frontman Robert Scott backed by some lovely harmonies from guitarist Kaye Woodward; the pleasant, jangly guitars; the bouncy, melodic bassline. It's the sort of song you want to curl up beside and just hug. Or pop into the car's cassette deck when driving around with friends, asking, "Wait, you've never heard "Treason" by The Bats? Oh, you must!"

Performed live last year:

An intimate, mostly-unplugged in-store performance: