adultsleepover

The Soundtrack: Music To Set The Mood For An ~Adult Sleepover~

Welcome to The Soundtrack, a column where we plumb the depths of our musical knowledge to bring you the best* (subjective) music to listen to for very specific life situations. This week, we bring you music to help you set the sexy-but-not-too-intense mood for your first Adult Sleepover with someone new and promising.

So, you’ve started seeing someone, hey? Good for you, putting yourself out there again. For a while there you were just focusing on yourself, which is also neat, but now you’re set on the idea of a buddy to cuddle while you sip cheap terrible wine and catch up on Luke Cage – and you reckon this new person in your life might be just the ticket. They’re charming, funny, down to earth, AND say “please” and “thank you” to waitstaff. So far, so good. Things are moving just a liiiittle slower than you’d like, so you’ve invited them over for a ~sexy~ dinner (if you’re cooking you might want to check out The Soundtrack from a couple weeks back). You’re keen to set the mood just right – relaxed but not too casual, sensual but not too obviously sexy, and you also really wanna impress them with how cool and eclectic you are BUT you definitely do not want them knowing you’ve chucked on a specific playlist just for this occassion. That’s why you’re here. Jesus christ, can’t you do anything for yourself? Just kidding. I have the goods for you. Happy to help.

Free Weed – High With Me

Let’s face it, you’re probably both a bit nervous. In all likelihood, both of you want this to turn into an Adult Sleepover, but neither of you want it to seem like you’re expecting anything. My recommendation is that you both relax, man. Just chill out. However you’re inclined to do that is up to you. I’m not condoning anything, but I am also not your mum. Regardless of how you reach maximus relaximus (but don’t go TOO far, you don’t wanna fall asleep without banging at least one out first), this song is a very Good and Nice complement to that. Shoegaze-y, reverb-y, underwater-y goodness with a touch of carefree rebellion. Plus chucking this on is a tried and true way to check if your potential paramour is a friend to the four-n-twenty (not the pies).

Portishead – Glory Box

Oh, come on now. Don’t pretend like you didn’t know this song was going to be here. FACT: there is no other track in modern memory with such a pinpoint sense of nuanced sensuality. This song belongs on every single damn playlist you have, actually, but especially ones you chuck on when you think you might get lucky. The one thing to watch with this one (while the person you’ve decided is probably the love of your life is there to impress), though, is the volume. Because turn that shit up and it’s practically obscene-sounding; wind it down to half-way or less and you have a gorgeous subdued dinner-appropriate song.

Little Dragon – Constant Surprises

I’m probably a tiny bit biased here because this track has personal significance, but honestly, it does such a bang-up job of walking that tumultuous line between omg I have feelings, isn’t this sweet and let’s get it on. This works for just about any stage of the night. You answering the door, looking adorably flushed from standing over a stove and them grinning at the sight of you. Them sharing some choice self-deprecating anecdotes about their week as they pour you both another glass of wine. You going to town on each other for the third time at 2am. It’s just so diverse that way. And let’s not ever understate the fucking incredible talent that is Yukimi Nagano. That voice could make anyone fall in love/take their clothes off (same diff).

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Tender Is The Neck

This song is best saved for a verrrry specific moment. You know the one. The delicious meal that you slaved over (or ordered on Deliveroo) has been well and truly polished off. The wine has been flowing freely for a few hours now. You’ve passed through the awkward small-talk right to the deep stuff and you’ve just stumbled upon some really significant piece of common ground that has left both of you somewhat breathless and starry-eyed. You kiss the kiss of people who have just started to think they could maybe, possibly, someday fall in love. RBCF begins to play, wistful and soft and ooooohhh, feel those goosebumps? Things are definitely still in PG-rated rom-com territory right now, but the winds are about to shift and you both know it.

Hiatus Kaiyote – Nakamarra

Well, they didn’t win a Grammy for not making sexy music. And, if your potential beloved is a music person, you’ll likely get a chance to bond over the amazing trajectory of the band too. Share stories of seeing them live. Nothing bonds people quite the way that can. And if your potential beloved is not a music person, it’s time to order them an Uber and tell them how nice it was to meet them. Kidding (sorta). That said, though, have this one queued up waaaaay at the tail end of your playlist so the repeated “I love you, love you, love you I do”s don’t leave a weird heavy feeling in the air. It’s just a song, my dudes. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?

Image: YouTube/Fox Animation