Guest Playlist: Set the mood with Riley Pearce’s top 10 love songs

After being caught up in Melbourne’s lockdown, indie singer-songwriter Riley Pearce and his long-term girlfriend took two big steps: they returned to Riley’s hometown of Perth AND got a puppy. That sure sounds like love to us!

It was also a great opportunity for Pearce to take his first musical deep dive into love song territory, with his new (and aptly named) EP Love and All That Stuff.

Three gorgeous tracks have made it into the wild so far: “Electricity“, “All My Love“, and “Golden Retriever“, which we premiered right here on The AU Review.

Riley says:

“This EP is all about journeying through life alongside someone you love, the ups and downs of a relationship, constantly trying to improve yourself for them, planning a future together and letting someone eat the last chip because you know they’d appreciate it.’

“I hope people really connect with the EP, and that they don’t cry too much. And if this EP puts me in the good books with my partner, well that would be a nice bonus.”

With Love and All That Stuff dropping today, we asked Riley to set the mood for us all, and give us his top ten love songs. Hit play below and then scroll on to find out a little more about each of the songs he chose!

“Stay High”Brittany Howard 
A big part of being in love is the moments where you’re losing track of time and this song is the perfect soundtrack for this feeling. Brittanys relaxed and off the cuff delivery is great and the drums (which apparently were played with chopsticks) have such a killer sound. The Terry Cruz music video is pretty gold too. 
 
“Tenenbaum” – Paper Kites

To be honest this whole playlist could have been a dedication to The Paper Kites – I connect most to this song when Im on the road, touring, away from my loved one and looking out into the sky and wondering what theyre up to at that very moment.

“Morning Comes Wearing Diamonds” – Ray LaMontagne

The simplicity of this song and how you can hear how his state of mind and the outlook of his day is changed by being in love. Its a wonderful thing having something more to live for and the change that brings to your life.
 
“Bella” – Angus & Julia Stone
This one has such a peaceful atmosphere to it. Reminds me of sitting on a porch on a nice autumn day whilst admiring someone from a distance as they go about their day.
 
“Banana Pancakes” – Jack Johnson
Me showing my new songs to Alex is a regular occurrence when she gets home from work but sometimes she’s not paying attention as much as I’m hoping (probably busy saying hi to our dog). I remember seeing Jack Johnson at a show a few years back and he told the story about how this song was written and how it stemmed from doing the exact same thing to his wife.“Sleep On The Floor” – The Lumineers
There’s a level of utter desperation and longing in Wesley Schultz’s voice. It’s an “even when we have nothing, we have each other” feel about running away and starting a life together. The video clip is stunning and this song has long been a favourite love song of mine.

“Blues Run The Game” – Jackson C. Frank
My fiancé and I watch a show called This Is Us and thats where we discovered this song and its become a staple of our roadtrip playlist ever since. Its not necessarily the most romantic song but to me its a song thatll always link us and reminds me to pick the other one up when theyre having a bad day.

“White Roses” – Flyte & The Staves
I loved these two bands separately for so long and when they teamed up for this song I was worried two great things wouldn’t pair up but boy oh boy was I glad I was wrong. Their harmonies and that guitar sound is something else! Its such a wonderful lazy Sunday afternoon reading, playing scrabble song.

“Real Peach” – Henry Jamison
Being with someone who helps bring you out of your down moments is so crucial in life. That’s what this song means to me. Someone who when they can see you’re hurting can just be there and provide comfort. A partnership should be more than the sum of your parts and that’s something we always try to keep front of mind.

“Gotta Have You” – The Weepies
The cutest husband and wife duo have some seriously good love songs to pick from. “Gotta Have You” is a lovely sentiment of needing someone as opposed to wanting something. Their harmonies have always been so incredible, I suppose thats something that comes with time, finding the right moments to step forward and when to step into the background.

Riley Pearce’s Love and All That Stuff is out today.
Stay up to date via his Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and website.

Jodie Sloan

Living, writing, and reading in Brisbane/Meanjin. Likes spooky books, strong cocktails, and pro-wrestling.