B-Side Guys

Portland band Risley delivers an exercise in emotional geography with “Love You More,” a standout track from their January 2025 album ‘Umbra Penumbra.’ Named after a cat and formed in 2016 by Michael Deresh, this four-piece outfit has evolved from an expansive collaborative project into a tightly focused unit—and that cohesion resonates throughout this deceptively simple declaration of devotion.

The track builds on the band’s signature “web of interlaced dreamy guitar melodies,” crafting a soundscape that feels simultaneously expansive and intimate. Jaime Hazerian’s guitar work (formerly of post-rock band Arms for Tripoli) creates shimmering textures that evoke the 80s British influences the band claims as inspiration, recalling the atmospheric qualities of early Cocteau Twins or The Cure without falling into mere imitation.

Beneath these dreamy elements, Tyler Rachal’s “stalwart and sticky” bass hooks and Andrew Meininger’s nuanced drumming provide the sturdy foundation necessary for the song’s emotional weight. This rhythm section creates the perfect counterbalance to the ethereal guitar work, much as the lyrics contrast wanderlust with the pull of home.

“I love you more/Than anything outside that door/And when it pours/And it will pour/It will be you, I’m searching for,” sings Deresh, establishing the central tension between exploration and attachment. The lyrics acknowledge the allure of endless possibility (“So many lights that vie for eyes/I have explored/I’ve walked through doors”) before returning to the anchoring refrain that gives the track its title.

Most affecting is the bridge where Deresh declares, “You’re home/I know/And home/Is knowing”—a perfect distillation of how genuine connection provides not just comfort but certainty in an uncertain world. The production emphasizes this emotional crescendo, momentarily stripping back layers before rebuilding to the track’s conclusion.

What’s particularly impressive about “Love You More” is how it manages to feel both wistful and certain, capturing the moment when wanderlust gives way to the recognition that the most profound exploration might be found in deep connection rather than constant movement. For a band named after a cat—creatures known for their independent roaming and territorial attachments—this meditation on home’s magnetic pull feels perfectly aligned with Risley’s evolving identity.