Playlist | Time Out

Time Out from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

Hi lovelies! I've been flat out with assignments and uni in general at the moment. So I've really been relying on some chilled out music to get me to sleep at the end of a long day. This is just a combination of the artists I've been tuning in to recently. 

The photo's from a more relaxing time too, last year at Woodford Folk Fest, can't wait to head back there soon.

Happy weekend!

Jess x 

Monthly Round-Up | August

Eat and Drink

Plum Tucker, Red Hill

Its been a while since Jess and I have shared a day off together and this August (much like last August) we took advantage of our state's show holiday. We stumbled across Plum Tucker in Red Hill after finding our desired destination in Paddington over booked. This cafe was pleasantly surprising for both of us. I had a delicious interpretation of Báhn mì with their outstanding home made chicken pâté. Jess also enjoyed a delicious lunch of avocado, pumpkin smash and haloumi on sourdough. 

If either of us are in the Red Hill area again and are looking for a delicious meal I doubt we'd hesitate at where to go. Great service combined with high quality, yet affordable meals, is always a winner. 

Playlist | Remember the Good

Remember the Good from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

This is a mix of new tunes I've been listening to lately that all put me in a really indie-pop kind of vibe. You'll hear shortly that I've been all over Sia's new release 1000 Forms of Fear which is sensational. I'll probably be including some of the other artists featured in this compilation in a current music picks post in the next few weeks. I can't wait to get my hands on Kimbra's The Golden Echo and have a more in-depth listen.

Hope you've all had a wonderful week, I know I have. Enjoy the tunes!

Erin xx

Music | Current Picks #1

Including only one favourite song/artist/album in my monthly round-up is something I find hard to narrow down. Listening to and finding new music is a huge part of my everyday, and with so much being released globally every week, I think it is only fit that I share current favourites with you. It is also easier to share them in this way, compared to a playlist, because often they do no suit being played alongside each other at all. k

Courtney Barnett

With a positively overwhelming Australian sound, Barnett has produced an album of prose perfectly suited to its musical accompaniment. I have always been a supporter of local tunes, and there is nothing better when an musician embraces their accent, especially when it is your own. I can't wait to hear more from this talented woman and am so happy for her recent success in the USA with The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas. 

Playlist | Hottest 100 Vote 2013

Triple J Hottest 100 2013 from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

A fairly common thing to partake in once a year is voting in the Triple J (our nation's youth radio station) Hottest 100. I did a playlist of my votes last year and thought that I would once again share with your my favourite songs for the year. The countdown happens every year on Australia Day (today, January 26) and I discovered that some of my favourite songs made it and some of them didn't. For me, its is generally at least half of my favourite tunes that make it into the nations favourites. 

I hope you like my most enjoyed tunes of the year and please share yours with me below. 

Erin xx

Playlist | Billy Kirkpatrick

Billy Kirkpatrick from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

Similar to Jess' last playlist, I've been indulging in some more soothing folk tunes in the last month or so. After a hectic year and festival season there is nothing nicer than chilling out with a good book and slow beats. This is a selection of music partly discovered at Woodford and some of whom I have loved a long time. A lot of them are home grown artists and two  of them hail from across the pond; Scotland and Canada. 

Sit back, sip some tea and enjoy!

Erin xx

Playlist | If You Keep Losing Sleep

If You Keep Losing Sleep... from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

Hi lovelies! Unfortunately I have always been a person who struggles to switch off at the end of the day. Over the years drifting off to music had become a habit of mine and I thought I would share some of my favourite sleep inducing songs.

Playlist | Cures

Cures from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

Yes, I have jumped on the Lorde bandwagon and can't stop listening to Pure Heroin. Its been gracing my ears with beauty almost continuously since it was released. I restrained myself from putting more of it in this playlist but be sure I will probably put one of her songs in every playlist I make for the rest of forever. I was also recently introduced to The Kite String Tangle; a great guy from Brisbane making some very catchy chilled out beats.

This playlist's main purpose (aside from being a collection of great tunes) was to aid my recovery from Saturday night shenanigans. 

Lorde - Still Sane

Portishead - Sour times

The Kite String Tangle (covering Lorde) - Tennis Courts

Bat For Lashes - Laura

Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful

Regina Spektor - Hotel Song

Bat For Lashes - Daniel (Mt. Eden Remix)

Chet Faker - I'm Into You

Active Child - Playing House

The Kite String Tangle - Given The Chance

So if you're in need of some soothing tunes to get you through a hangover perhaps this will do the trick.

Happy Sunday lovers,

Erin xx

Playlist | Summer Sounds

Summer Sounds from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

Hi lovelies! Whenever the weather changes I always find putting a playlist really gets in the mood for the coming seasons. Here's some tracks I've been loving lately and wanted to share with all of you. 

Aluna George, I have developed a recent obsession with this London-based duo. Their entire album is very cruisey and easy to listen to. I think pretty much everyone I know is obsessed with Disclosure's album 'Settle'. I'm seeing both bands at Listen Out festival in a few weeks and I have very high hopes. 

The Top Five | September

Hi lovelies! With winter well and truly over in Brisbane I thought it was time for a post on the things I have been loving the most over the past couple of months. It's been a while since my last top five post, but essentially it's my way of doing favourites. There are a couple other of these posts if you fancy a scroll back through the archives. 

Music: AlunaGeorge 'Body Music'

I have a playlist in the works for next week with all my recent discoveries on it so I won't babble on too much here. I have been listening to a really odd mish mash of electronic and classics recently, but the stand out has definitely been Aluna George. This London duo's debut album Body Music has been on high rotation on my iPod.

Fashion: Plaid

Even though we're moving into the warmer months I am still obsessed with plaid. It's all over the place in the Northern Hemisphere for winter and I refuse to give it up just because it's summer. Above are some recent plaid features on the blog, and there are many more items yet to be photographed. 

Playlist | Fronts Like These

Fronts Like These from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

I find that music really helps get me through the cold fronts that brace beautiful Brisbane at this time of the year. I see a lot less live music, probably because it's much to cold to go out but I seem to have the highest quantity of new and old tunes streaming through my headphones. I go to music for comfort and memories as well as for something to make me feel less like a cold blooded animal unable to move without sunshine. 


I've put together this playlist of songs that have helped me get going in the last few weeks. Some of them are new tunes and some are older (not by much) and well loved. 

Playlist | Get Up!

Get Up! from aroseandapeony on 8tracks Radio.

It's been a while but I have a new playlist for you today. Recently, (since Jess thankfully forced the music upon me) I have been getting into The Great Gatsby soundtrack and Daft Punk's new album Random Access Memories. This playlist includes a selection of my favourites from those two albums intertwined with some other songs that I love to listen to when getting ready for a night out or even in the morning before work to pump me up for the day. 

They range in genre a little and may seem like a strange collection. I think a common theme that runs through the lot of them is that I can sing along. I find that to be a very important component in music for a night out (or pre-drinking). I love to sing so anything that makes me feel good about myself and my voice will get me feeling happy and in the mood for socialising. Click 'read more' to get the track listing...

The Top Five

Hi all! Long time no post. I have managed to wade out from under my textbooks and papers and am back in the land of blogging. Apologies for missing my usual Friday post but I had too much to do and not enough time to do it in. 

I wanted to start a new type of post on the blog. I am a lover of 'monthly favourites' videos on YouTube, but I feel that they just don't translate as well in blog form. I'm not sure just yet if these will be a monthly post, I may just do them as and when I feel like it. I'm sure as a shopping addict it won't take me long to accumulate enough for another post 

Music: Overgrown James Blake

It is too hard to put into words how much I love this album. I am a mahoosive James Blake fan and am beyond excited that he is touring with Splendour in the Grass later this year. I don't think I have to listened to anything else but this album since it was released on the 8th. I have been studying to it, sleeping to it and going to the gym listening to it. It's one of those rare albums where you love each and every track, and wouldn't ever skip any of them. Just perfection. Mr Blake definitely avoided that dreaded second album slump. If you haven't given this a listen yet I highly recommend it. You can get the deluxe edition on iTunes for a mere $16.99. 

Food: Cauliflower Pizza Bases

I haven't gotten around to actually cooking this recipe yet, but I am very intrigued by the concept of a cauliflower pizza base. I first heard about the concept on the lovely Tara's blog and she has since posted a recipe. However after some google-ing I think this recipe will produce a slightly sturdier crust. Basically by making the base with cauliflower instead of the traditional ingredients you get all the deliciousness of a pizza without the carbs. Genius! I am definitely curious. 

OOTD Festival Fashion

Shirt - Thrifted, Shorts - DIY Levi Cutoffs, Jacket - NastyGal, Claw Bracelet - eBay, Turquoise Bracelet - Markets, Black Bracelet - ASOS, Watch - Casio via Urban Outfitters, Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell 'Rainy Days' 

For me summer means one thing. Festivals. I am a huge advocate for festivals, when there's a good line up you can see bands for a fraction of the cost of an individual ticket. My love of festivals was instilled at a young age when I ran around barefoot at the Woodford Folk Festival. Last year marked my 11th Woodford and this was the outfit I chose. 

You may be thinking I'm deranged for wearing a jacket to a summer festival, however Woodford is held in the hinterlands and can get surprisingly cold in the evenings. I felt that the two denims were different enough to avoid the dreaded Brittany-Justin tragedy (click here if you dare). Paired, as always, with some silver jewelry and Jeffrey Campbells this outfit managed to be relaxed and allow me full range of motion whilst dancing like a loon. 

The shoes are gumboots. By Jeffrey Campbell. Best gumboots ever? I think so. I picked these up on a whim from Solestruck at the beginning of last year in order to qualify for free shipping (we've all used that excuse) and they have turned out to be one of my smarter purchases. Super comfy and completely waterproof as long as the mud isn't too intense these make an excellent festival shoe. 

Anyways my brain is absolutely fried as I just got back from Big Day Out today and my body is not happy to be sitting at a desk rather than having a Nana nap (or hibernation as the case may be).

Have you guys hit up any festivals lately?

Jess xx

Who is the Peony?

I woke up this morning and thought "Humph... my new shoes haven't arrived - what on earth am I going to blog about today?" However, this is the perfect excuse for me to introduce myself to you properly. 

My name is Erin and my favourite flower is a Peony (hence our blog's name). I'm a Brisbane (Australia) girl through and through but am spending the summer in Melbourne with my parents, hoping to return to my home town when the season is over. Recently graduated with a degree in Creative Industries, I have a passion for arts, music, and events management, and writing about the arts, fashion, music, and entertainment. 

There are a few things that may have come across in posts already but I'll give you a run down on my style. I wear what I like. "What I like" covers a ridiculous amount of bases.  Be it stylish, comfortable, practical, or "cool", what I like changes on a day to day basis and therefore so does my typical outfit. As much as I would love to dress in vintage atire all the time, the allure of recent fashions and clothes falling under the umbrella of "hippie" is too great. I love the thrill of finding a bargain at a thrift store equally as much as dishing out a small fortune for an immaculately kept one-off from the 1950s. I can't seem to refrain from whipping out my credit-card digits for a sneaky ASOS buy (who can resist the free shipping, seriously?) or a post-Christmas shoe sale. Nor can I hide the fact that I own 8+ pairs of fisherman/harem/dyed pants and live in them during the summer. I love frilly skirts, floral patterns, denim-on-denim, and combat boots. I also, on occasion, have dreams of wearing vintage Chanel suits to a job I am yet to attain. 

My major at university was music, my other passion. Finding and spreading the word of new kids on the music scene and introducing people to genres they wouldn't find in their normal hearing range is something I want to be involved with forever; especially music from Brisbane and Australia. 

So please, lend me your eyes twice a week and read about my post-uni, self-styled, music loving life.

Erin xx