“The Water” by Riley Pearce – A Song Feature

      We agree with Riley Pearce when he says, “The song is very much divided in two.” The first portion of “The Water” has the feel of rotating wheels delivering steady forward motion to listeners. The rhythm and vocals are somehow both mechanical and enchanting. Still, a degree of freedom is offered to the “lighter” of the instruments. As the end of the first portion approaches, there is a greater urgency, but the wheels continue to turn.
 
     The second portion of “The Water” is characterized by builds and swells. An instrumental crescendo begins at 1:34. When the vocals enter, the warmth of the song by Riley Pearce jumps a level. The vocals are lush, noticeably more so than during the earlier portion. At this time, the piano is not complicated, but it enhances the song’s texture. The final build on the warmth of “The Water” occurs at 2:52, when the brass becomes a featured contributor.
 
      Riley Pearce is from Perth Australia. His debut full-length album “The Water & The Rough” was released via Nettwerk. For options in listening or purchasing the album, CLICK HERE.
 
          “The Water” by Riley Pearce

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RileyPearceMusic/
Website: https://www.rileypearce.com.au/

Lyrics of “The Water” by Riley Pearce
Both sides are gonna let you down
So put your faith in something real
Something you can feel
 
Everybody’s got a truth to shout
You’re gonna learn
Come on in and wait your turn
 
I can take you to the front door
I can show you the water
I can fill up the cup
But I can’t make you drink
 
I don’t know what I’m supposed to find
But I guess I’ll find out
I don’t know what I’m looking for
But I’ll keep an eye out
You, you’ve got it figured out
Tell me what’s your secret
And I, and I want to know where to stand
So I know how to keep it
 
Of course it shines
It’s made of lights
But it was never going to be what I wanted
It’s too damn bright
It’s fucking up my eyes
But it was never going to be what I wanted
 
Can we turn
Can we turn this plane around
Can we turn
Can we turn this plane around

     While talking about “The Water” and its video. Riley said:
  “We wanted to lean into the song’s concept but bringing in a more cult like collective mindset to represent the struggles so many of us have in finding solace and the often sheep mentality that comes with carving out success in the music scene. The song is very much divided in two. After chatting with director Cedric Tang about the way we’d film the music video, we wanted to highlight the bass - stuttering to match it with zombielike movements from the actors…..The moment we hit that water though it was a real battle to control the teeth chatters, it was a great team to work with on this video and I’m super proud of how it turned out.”

     Cedric Tang, director of “The Water,” shared:
   “Riley came to me with the idea behind the track and I loved it. The track is split into two parts, and we really wanted to visually show this sense of trance-like social conformity in the first half by having everyone dressed in similar clothes and walking the same way to the beat. Once the song changes pace, that's the moment where 'the spell breaks' and Riley has a kind of personal epiphany about his journey in music, and that's when visuals get a bit more eclectic and alive. I decided to shoot the first half almost completely on the tripod, in the middle of the afternoon to give it that static, lifeless feeling; and the second half was pretty much shot handheld through the evening & night to give it a bit more energy and human-like movement. I loved the idea of using twilight, the transition time between day and night, to really push the moment the song transitions. Shooting day itself was everything all at once, we were hot & sweaty, then cold and shivering a few hours later, but it was a great time with everyone out in the bush. Working with Riley is always super collaborative and I love that.”