It’s Wednesday the 3rd of April 2019, and 400 of us are packed into Thekla, Bristol. A bald lad in a white t-shirt stands encircled by the crowd in the middle of the deck with a mic, as the intro to ‘Pockets’ begins. Everyone is sweaty, singing along and having the time of their life. The man is Murray Matravers, the band is Easy Life and ‘Pockets’ is their debut single.
Hailing from Leicester, Easy Life are fast gaining a following in the UK and international music scene, and for good reason. With a mix of chill, melancholy and energetic tunes, the band has an unusual but inviting make-up: drums, bass, guitar, synth, trumpet, and saxophone are among some of the main gear used both at their shows and in the studio. Since releasing their debut single ‘Pockets’ in 2018, Easy Life have continued to make beautiful sounds for a further 5 singles, 2 EPs and most recently, an album; Junk Food. On BBC Radio one, they debuted their single ‘Earth’ as Annie Mac’s Hottest record in July 2019.
These boys have been making a scene in the UK music industry for a couple of years now, and it’s only going to get better. They’re honest, funny, grounded and incredibly talented. From the get-go, Easy Life have had a distinctive yet versatile sound, attracting listeners and fans of all ages and from many different genres. The band music has a chilled, indie meets jazz meets pop sound. Their incorporation of live brass and spoken word/rap into their music gives them a creative flair which many bands vie for; as brass sounds are beautifully melted into electric music and samples to create a unique but super catchy melodic profile. This owes not only to the more classical talents of Matravers and Sam Hewitt (on trumpet and sax) but also the clear vision for their sound and brilliant production.
Easy Life shows are fun, energetic and full of life. Matravers and Oli Cassidy especially are unafraid to get down to the front of the stage and into the audience, to crowd-surf and probably take off their tops. Someone from the audience will lob a lemon they’ve smuggled in onto the stage, and there’ll undoubtedly be pool inflatables too. The audience jumps, runs and dances about for the whole set without fail, and the atmosphere is golden. Delivering amazing concerts has been a great help to the band’s success; and I would not hesitate to recommend everyone to grab tickets for their next tour. The band headlined the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury last year, as well as playing a sold-out UK tour as well as Reading and Leeds and other UK and US music festivals. It’s clear the band love what they do; the excitement of live shows and tours announced on Twitter and the connection with their fans make Easy Life’s candid love for music obvious.
Signed to Island, Easy Life have given themselves a lot to live up to in the future, and will they deliver? I don’t doubt it for a minute. All the music they release is a labour of love, articulate, smooth and undoubtedly theirs; they continue to explore a mixture of different sounds and are accomplished in each and every one.
Listen to Easy Life’s Junk Food via Island Records.
