If you’re as chronically online as I am, you might have caught wind of the way people from in and out of state romanticize a Rhode Island summer and share the nostalgia of having fallen in love here. Perhaps there’s something about the salty air breezing in from the bay on quiet beaches or the way PVD lights up at night like constellations that creates the perfect atmosphere for romance. And of course, we’ve always looked to the poets, bards, and an array of artists of different kinds to help us understand the emotions we’re experiencing, whether it’s the giddiness and excitement of a budding love affair or the hopelessness and dejection of an unrequited love.
I’ve been spending some time exploring love songs from RI artists, and what I found was far from a homogeneous portrayal of the most idealistic aspects of what it’s like to love. I found vulnerability delivered over gritty guitars, heartbreak ebbing and flowing within electric pianos, and a poignant self-awareness of the goods and bads of loving someone. Here are 7 tracks that might just make you want to unblock that person and text them, or hopefully help you understand yourself a little better and become more adept at self-love.
- Olivia Dolphin – “Not Perfect”
This track felt like watching a time-lapse video of a garden of flowers blooming. “I can get a little insistent when you get distant,” Olivia admits over production that builds and releases with a triumphant chorus that emulates the feeling of a major catharsis through its sonics. The chorus, “Just so you know that I know that I’m not perfect,” is not merely accepting that you were wrong in defeat; its self-awareness shining through, Olivia being able to say that she is aware of her flaws and is bringing them to the table anyway. If you’re going to love someone, you’ve gotta love the good and bad parts. There’s a lot of power in such transparency in a modern dating scene, where you might try to paint a romanticized version of yourself in order to attract someone. We can all learn something, in love and in life, about choosing to show up imperfectly rather than not showing up at all.
- Khary – “Can’t Take Anymore”
Providence’s Khary was such a refreshing listen for me in the way that he delivers an indie sound that is simultaneously nostalgic and forward-thinking. “Can’t Take Anymore” has the type of vibe of something you might blast at the skatepark while trying to avoid addressing the elephant of your feelings. He creates an angsty soundscape that blends grunge and hip-hop while reflecting on his tendency for avoidant attachment (a self-sabotaging behavior where you love someone but refuse to fully open up and allow yourself to be loved back). “You’re how I envisioned, just not what I imagined,” he raps. I’m a sucker for a quotable line like that. The lyrics read like a diary entry: “And I’m not sure I’m built for a married life, scary right? / How you can love a person to death / But still need time for yourself / And you being kind doesn’t help.” I love how honest it is about admitting that you were the problem in an almost-relationship, and that you’re not the only one who’s ever pushed away something good because you weren’t ready for it within yourself.
- Ike Dee – “You Were the One”
This track strips away complex, busy production for something moody and ruminant. “I cry at night inside my bed and think of you,” he sings. There’s no front being put on here and no attempt to frame this painful longing as other than what it is. After a really bad breakup, sometimes the only thing that can heal you is time passing, which it’s always going to do. Throw this track on in the late night when you’re sitting in the dark and trying to process everything that’s happened between you and that person.
- Deer Tick – “Smith Hill”
This is an older cut from 2009, but I felt I had to include it here simply for how tied it is to Rhode Island. John McCauley’s gravelly voice narrates familiar locations in PVD and feelings of heartbreak simultaneously: “From a tiny room up on Smith Hill / It’s easy to disappear.” The song captures that unique RI experience of being in a place so small that it feels like you can’t hide, whether from another person or yourself. “Oh love, it’s hard to hide it / True love, it’s hard to find it / Though I was once beside it / I’ve fallen far behind it.” These lines communicate a feeling of surrender but also acceptance of your mistakes. The feeling of knowing you let something slip away might just be worse than the ending of a relationship itself.
- Maddi Campbell – “I Have to Miss You Now”
This track explores the helplessness of witnessing someone you love struggling and trying your best to be the solution, when deep down you know that you can’t be. “I didn’t know what to say / Now you’re too far away / And I can’t reach you,” she sings. “Stare at the ceiling all night / Lay in my bed and I cry / Because I couldn’t fix you.” Unfortunately, love isn’t always enough. How deeply you might care about someone is no match for their own inner demons.
- Julie Melucci – “I Like You”
Apart from all the heartbreak and anguish, we can’t forget how exciting new love can be. This song is a fun and upbeat way of capturing the giddy, electric spark of connecting with that new person. “Everything is better when I see you lying next to me / Cause I like you, I really like you, baby,” she sings, mixing in playful lyrics and references with genuine adoration. Love songs don’t always have to be about rejection and loss, and this song is a perfect reminder that having fun together is a key part of what makes a great relationship work.
- Benjamin Quinn – “I Love Rhode Island”
This may not be a traditional love song, but it’s certainly the most RI song on the list! “From Block Island to the Blackstone Mill / Come on let’s all have some coffee milk,” Quinn sings. It’s a good ‘ole celebration of hometown pride and belonging that informs how we show up and interact with others. If you met someone in RI, had a first date here, got married here, or chose to start a family here, then you can certainly link those definitive lifelong memories to something like quahogs, lobster rolls, or any other RI staple.
This collection of songs paint a picture of love that is authentic in how varied the phenomenon of love can be. There’s always going to be ups and downs, and things are definitely going to get messy. But that’s how real life is, and the best art imitates life and manages to suspend moments in time into a medium like a song. The best love songs aren’t going to be about a picturesque portrayal of a love story, but about how we show up in the blissful moments as well as the challenging ones.
Here are some additional local love song suggestions from John Fuzek:
- Crash Space (Beth Killian and Damian Puerini) – space mom, an album full of love and made from love.
crashspace1.bandcamp.com/album/space-mom
- Mark Cutler – “Soul Flame” and “What About You”
youtube.com/watch?v=5NfZHuCD40k
youtube.com/watch?v=GekTBooaEQc
- Kim Petrarca – “Dead Before the War” and “Baby, Please”
kimpetrarca.com/music
- John Fuzek – “Josephine” and “Love Is Never Too Late”
youtube.com/watch?v=HO_QFvEGn88
facebook.com/reel/1347924005704659
- Katherine Quinn – “Breathe” and “Times Two”
reverbnation.com/katherinequinn
- Allysen Callery – “The Song The Songbird Sings,” “The Azores Song,” and “Your Skin Does Not Lie”
youtube.com/watch?v=Qc69ZFRgchY
youtube.com/watch?v=GYqdQ1Ls00g
youtube.com/watch?v=Bx-vMix7zJQ
- Mary Pierce – “Surrender” and “Before You Go”
music.amazon.in/albums/B085VFKCJB
youtube.com/watch?v=nAUQG56N6fo