Funny how sometimes a track can resonate on a multiplicity of different levels, some no doubt intentional, and others simply accidental or mere coincidence. Offering a sound similar to a Jesus & Mary Chain tune, yet with the structure of an Everly Brothers song, “Making Up For Lost Time,” the latest cut from Ottawa’s ethereal electro-rock duo Paragon Cause is a case in point.
Written pre-Covid, as a reflection on a personal relationship, the song gained new meaning as the pandemic engulfed. “It’s an optimistic song with a sense of longing, a glimmer of hope through the long fog of isolation that now applies to current life,” explains guitarist Jay Bonaparte. “We want people to either sit in their car or put on some headphones and close their eyes. We want people to hear the song and remember what it was like living the last year and then feel the sense of optimism as life will start to come back to us. By the end of the song, we want people excited to begin the next chapter in their lives.”
Mixed and produced with the help of Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes), “Making Up For Lost Time” is the first single from their pending third album, “Autopilot,” which is due in 2022. Vocalist & Keyboardist Michelle Opthof shares a little about the song’s fruition: “Jay wrote the guitar parts and Sune programmed the drums,” she recalls. “At that point, we knew we had a beautiful song. I added the words and vocals and the track went to a whole different level.”
For me, “Making Up For Lost Time,” whether by accident or design, sounds like a forward-facing band building from elements of the past. It speaks of opportunities and of lessons learned, combining joy with sorrow, connection, and isolation. It tells a tale, yet remains shrouded in mystery, leaving me satisfied whilst wanting more. Perhaps Michelle explains it best, with her closing words: “When you close your eyes are looking at someone you love, the image sits on your retina and slowly fades away but the memory remains in your head.”
I couldn’t have put it any better myself!
Photo Credit: James Park Photography
Music has been a lifelong passion, a journey that as a child embraced the late 60's counter culture and has lasted until the present day. Despite trying to play guitar for the best part of 45 years, to his own frustration, never much beyond the first four bars of “Stairway to Heaven.” A self-confessed vinyl junkie, his other interests include collecting music memorabilia, old Muhammad Ali fight programs, and watching film. He lives alone in Nottingham (England) and still uses the term “Groovy” - these two facts may be intrinsically connected.
