Easy Life premiere new single ‘Frank’ / ‘Orange Juice and Pink Lemonade’
Debut mixtape – ‘Creature Habits’ – available now on Island Records
Headline Tour & Festival Dates also confirmed
“One of the most buzzed about bands…undisputed bops” Wonderland
“Woozy, cheeky…Arctic Monkeys meets Mac Demarco, spitting out Kate Tempest-esque lyrics” The Times
“Sounds like nothing else…if this is anything to go by Easy Life are set to take 2018 by storm” – The Line Of Best Fit
“Confident and charismatic…blending together hip-hop, jazz and indie elements into an invigorating package” – DIY
“A lavish mutation on hip-hop, one that looks set to take over even more in 2018” Notion
“Blending sensual slow-jams with genuine pop hits…god they make it look so effortless” NME
“Full of irresistible hooks and the trials of youth” Dork
Easy Life have premiered new single ‘Frank’ today alongside brand new b-side ‘Orange Juice & Pink Lemonade’. Available now on Island Records, Easy Life are currently conquering their first ever festival circuit, with a UK headline tour also confirmed for later this year (including a London show at Moth Club on November 21st).
All West Coast grooves and sun-kissed melodies on its shimmering surface, ‘Frank’ in fact finds Easy Life at their most soul-searching, and lyrically vulnerable. “I’m sorry that I’m such a show-off, sometimes I need to let it out and put it on my chest and blow it off,” sings Murray, with Drake-like cadence over Prophet synth swirls. Describing the track for the first time today, the band’s front-man says: “I wrote ‘Frank’ in a cripplingly anxious and introvert state, about a summer fling that got seriously out of hand. At the time I was gutted and, at best, very confused: even now when we play it, I still feel a little uneasy.”
‘Frank’ is the follow-up to Easy Life’s much-acclaimed debut single ‘Pockets’, and their first new material since idiosyncratic debut mixtape ‘Creature Habits’. How many other new UK acts – least of all from “rainy middle England” – do you know whose sound joins the dots between the optimistic gospel-rap of Chance The Rapper, scattergun storytelling of Arctic Monkeys, electronic invention of Glass Animals and velvety vibes of vintage Dilla? Few new artists announce their arrival quite like Easy Life, yet Easy Life are in many ways like few other new acts, as at home with their free-wheeling sound as they are baring their soul.
Beneath the musical bravado, then, things clearly haven’t come easily for Easy Life – which is precisely the point. Murray was raised and has worked all his life on the Leicesteshire farm run by his parents, selling potatoes, plucking turkeys, and learning from an early age the value of getting your hands dirty to get where you want to be. He formed the band on a whim in late 2017 with bassist, saxophonist, singer and school friend Sam, after bonding over classic hip-hop as kids in the Midlands. Also in their ranks are Afrobeat-obsessed drummer Cass, guitarist Louis and Jordan, on percussion, keys and backing vocals. What’s emerged – albeit by accident – is a manifesto to truly live by. “Easy Life is a form of escapism,” says Murray. “Living is proving to be increasingly difficult with all the pressures that modern life brings, and easy life rejects this materialistic philosophy; easy life is a hedonistic vision. When we coined the name there was a lot less thinking involved, but it feels like we have embodied the name over time rather than setting out from day one knowing exactly what it is we were looking for.”
It’s already been quite the journey since then. Easy Life have gone from menial jobs – ranging from farm life to stocking shelves in TK Maxx – to landing millions of streams and a packed-out year of shows and recording ahead. A love of Leicester (and of course its football club) remains at the heart of what they do, as does the candid, occasionally tongue-in-cheek but always honest attitude that underpins songs like ‘Frank’. But – thrillingly – Easy Life also appear the type of ambitious young band who will grab with both hands the surprise break they’ve grafted for.