A brief history of Easy Life - why falling in love with these genre-bending indie heroes is simple!
Easy Life – the five-piece band from Leicester, whose experimental sound and fearless creativity has skyrocketed them into the stratosphere over the last couple of years – are impossible to predict.
Blending musical styles and copious instruments effortlessly to create their unique sound, the group have destroyed the genre rule book– and deliver inclusive, relatable chart-busting tunes that are like nothing else you’ve heard before.
Successfully flitting between jazz, hip-hop, ska, reggae, R&B, pop and indie, or whatever else takes their fancy actually, Easy Life have taken the route to stardom in their eclectic stride. Their music is bold, brave and never afraid to change its direction – that’s ultimately what makes the band so exciting, and why they’ve amassed a huge following of dedicated fans.
To celebrate their upcoming debut studio album, Life’s A Beach, this June and a new tour in November 2021, we look back at Easy Life’s story so far. Sign up for Ticket Alarm here.
Formed in mid-2017 by Murray Matravers (vocals, synth, keyboard, trumpet) and pals Sam Hewitt (bass, saxophone), Oliver Cassidy (drums, percussion), Lewis Berry (guitar) and Jordan Birtles (percussion, keyboard), Easy Life, released single Pockets (Chess Club Records) that same year before signing to Island Records to release debut mixtape Creature Habits in spring 2018.
The smooth grooves of the six-track EP provide the perfect introduction to a band who aren’t afraid to try things out and freely experiment. From the genre-defying Pockets, and the indie-hit meets slow jam vibes of Slow Motion –which lyrically reminds us to appreciate life’s little positives – to the synth-heavy, futuristic Ice Cream, the eclectic nature of their releases couldn’t be clearer.
2019’s Spaceships follows up with a mash-up of influences but still manages to feel accessible and authentic, this time leaning towards soft blends of American R’n’B and hip-hop infused tracks, with Matravers’ signature observational lyrics. A melancholic trip down memory lane, exploring themes of old friends, house parties, lazy Sundays, and classic British weather. It was this second mixtape which further raised their profile, leading to a mega Coachella performance, a trip to SXSW, and a visit to Later…with Jools Holland, which saw them perform 2018’s Nightmares.
Nightmares has since become an anthem for a generation, amassing millions of streams on Spotify thanks to its relatable subject matter – tackling the effects of mental health in our society. The track was also featured on Michaela Coel’s award-winning BBC drama series I May Destroy You.
The release of singles Houseplants and Sunday in 2019 coincided with appearances at The Great Escape Festival, New York’s Governors Ball Music Festival and the coveted headline slot on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury Festival, which further cemented their rise to the top.
2020’s Junk Food continued this streak, launching them into the Official Albums Chart top 10, as well as earning them NME’s Best New British Act Award before lockdown, which seems like an obvious decision, when you look at their ever-growing list of sold-out gigs.
From exploring the world’s obsession with fame culture in Dead Celebrities, to exploring the world itself on Earth, or the way Sangria – a duet with Arlo Parks – documents the yearning that comes with falling in love, Junk Food encapsulates and observes much of our current society with ease.
It’s clear, when listening chronologically, to hear how each prior release has informed the next, cleverly showcasing each member’s flair for switching between instruments as easily as they explore their varied musical influences in new ways. Every mixtape catapults the band into a new era – a refreshing, explorative, often unique direction which perfectly complements that exact window of time.
So, that brings us to today, eagerly awaiting snippets of new information about what we can expect from their highly-anticipated full-length debut, Life’s a Beach – which they’ve so far remained rather tight-lipped about. Although, we’ve read the opening track features the addition of a Romanian orchestra.
An album that might’ve sounded quite different had it not been for the year of pandemic, a cancelled festival season, a cancelled international tour and a travel ban, which led the band, like many others, to stay home, sit down and write. The results, we guess, will be just as innovative, inclusive and relatable as we’ve come to expect from them so far. And...with summer slowly creeping up and the sunshine streaming in through the windows, we can’t wait to dig our toes into the sand and hear what Easy Life will do next.
Life’s a Beach is due out 4 June 2021 and can be pre-ordered from the band’s official website.
Tickets for the Life’s a Beach tour in November 2021 – will be available next Friday (9 April 2021) – sign up for Ticket Alarm to be the first to access the on sale.
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