Riley Pearce fell in love with songwriting as a teenager – a quiet fire that’s only grown deeper and more deliberate with time. Fifteen years on, he still writes with that same raw honesty, but the stakes have changed. His third full-length, The Weight of Our Dreaming is his most vulnerable and self-assured work to date: a reflection on what’s gained, what’s lost, and what it really costs to chase a lifelong dream.

It’s a raw, reflective exploration of Riley’s evolving relationship with the music industry and his craft – both the passion that started it all and the pressures that have nearly broken it. Written during a period of burnout and disillusionment, the album doesn’t shy away from the toll of pursuing a creative career. “I am always so deeply personal with what I write about, exploring all aspects of my life and my relationship to the world,” Riley says, “It took a toll.” The songs emerged after a season of setbacks – losing his management team, the emotional price of self-promotion, the darker sides of social media, and adapting to changes brought about by the pandemic and fatherhood.

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Since Riley's 2016 debut EP, Outside the Lines, featuring breakout single “Brave”, he’s racked up over 118 million global streams across 74 songs, six EPs, and two albums – with 24 of his tracks hitting over one million Spotify streams. He has co-written tracks with Garrett Kato and Dustin Tebbutt, earned an Honourable Mention in the 2021 International Songwriting Competition (ISC), and landed major sync deals for Maxton Hall, Netflix’s Love Victor, and US TV hits Shameless and Shadowhunters. On the live front, Riley has taken his storytelling global – playing renowned festivals including PinkPop (NL), A Summer’s Tale (GER), Latitude Festival (UK), The Great Escape (UK), and Zermatt Unplugged (CH). He’s also supported the likes of Leon Bridges, The Teskey Brothers, Wild Rivers, Lord Huron, Lifehouse, and Lucy Rose. His music has drawn critical attention from publications like Rolling Stone, Atwood Magazine, Music Feeds and Milky, who praised his "honest songwriting, and relatable storytelling [that] has resonated both in Australia and overseas.”