Following their release of their star-studded cosy-feeling ‘MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE…’, easy life have had a monstrous ride to the top in their five years together as a band. Once a thought in the frontman Murray Matravers’ mind to grab his musical friends together and form their own band, these Leicester musicians took their local sound global. From touring around small local venues in the East Midlands to being on bills of international festivals from the US to Tokyo, the journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Working with DHL and Universal Music Group for their FAST-TRACK programme, the boys put together a magnificent Abbey Roads Studios performance, which winners of a UK-exclusive competition got to watch. But, their next competition is for everyone all over the world as they team up with DHL FAST-TRACK for a mini-game. The easy life X DHL FAST-TRACK mini-game gives easy life fans and DHL employees another opportunity to win a ‘MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE…’ Dream House model, as well as a limited edition vinyl of easy life’s Abbey Roads Studios performance (cut to vinyl at the historic venue), tour tickets, and more. The competition is now open.
But, let’s take a closer look at the band’s rise to fame…
‘pockets’ (2017)
For a stellar debut single, this floaty introduction to the band is still a treasured record within their discography. Opening up with charming ad-libbing, you can hear Murray talk about easy life’s yearning desire to make it big. Their lyrics are poetic as they try to “open doors with their musical keys” and “twinkle at ivory keys” to get by, but little did the band know then that they’d be where they are now.
‘silverado’ (2018)
A track off their debut mixtape ‘Creative Habits’, the first time the band had put out a cohesive body of work. In this mixtape, the band played around with whatever sound they wanted: jazz, pop, indie–rock, and, on this track in particular, funk. There’s a high-pitched echoed bridge that is reminiscent of great Motown vocals, then the flirty bass dances away on the minimalistic beat.
‘ojpl’ (2018)
‘ojpl’ is a woozy delight. Synth notes jump back and forth invoking a jolliness that runs through most of easy life’s work. Again, the track’s lyrics are all about the band’s desire of making it big, but more from an angle of despair than sheer hope: “I’ve been putting in the work / But does a strong work ethic actually work?”. The song foretells the success the band will have as their work effort has seen them through to the top.
‘sunday’ (2019)
When their ‘spaceships’ mixtape came out, the band solidified what they wanted their music to be like, and ‘sunday’ is a hazy love tune from the perspective of a love-drunk Murray. Also, on ‘spaceships’, you can hear more uplifting lyrics and stories being told as easy life come into their own in the industry.
‘earth’ (2019)
‘earth’ , a seemingly light-hearted track, surprises the listener with its articulate social commentary and deeply introspective lyrics, something we’d see a lot more in the band’s later work. Such a lofty song that allows you to reflect on the world, it’s a true standout track for the band who, before this, would always make quips about their own desires and not something as broad or topical as climate change.
‘sangria’ (2019)
The boys had their first big collaboration with the sensational rising star Arlo Parks on their third mixtape, ‘Junk Food’. As both of their silken voices tell a tale about their significant others, the groovy jazz-inspired instrumentation conjures up a sultry and daydreamy feel. Mostly working with themselves at this time, this feature proved the magic can be maintained when sharing the spotlight too.
‘Peanut Butter’ (2020)
A pair of demos released to tide us over until their debut came out, easy life sonically created what it feels like to be in love again. This time they go back to that laissez-faire fanfare we’ve been hearing since the start and tell us a tale of ongoing love.
‘nightmares’ (2020)
‘nightmares’ was the breakthrough for the band. In earlier songs, the band were wondering whether their hard work would pan out for them and this moment is where it all came together. There’s the fanfare, jazz notes, echoed adlibs, and Murray’s unique vocal delivery. They all wrapped up in a relatable storyline of emotional deflection, and they put themselves comfortably in the forefront with this one.
‘skeletons’ (2020)
Once again, the band are in their funky flex. With gleaming guitars and chirpy synths, this love tale is about those exes you keep in your closet. With Murray, of course, apprehensive about his new love and becoming one of hers, this track is one of scepticism that kept easy life’s momentum rolling as budding pop juggernauts to come.
‘music to walk home to’ (2020)
Taking a monotonous tone whilst delivering his observations on his walk home – atop a 2-step or garage beat – this Streets-esque Murray we meet is unlike the Murray who sings on all the other easy life songs. He’s funny, a bit self-deprecating, and ludicrously sarcastic, too.
‘DEAR MISS HOLLOWAY’ (2022)
Sonically, the band has changed with this popular single from their second album, ‘MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE…’. Taking a more organic stance with their chilled-yet-reflective music, and with the help of ex-Brockhampton frontman Kevin Abstract, the band have made quite the classic.
‘MEMORY LOSS’ (2022)
The sombre ‘MEMORY LOSS’ is one of the boys’ favourites off of their new album. Chosen to perform at their DHL FAST-TRACK performance at Abbey Roads Studios, easy life wanted to show off this chilled track that they don’t get to play too much. Showing maturity on their second album, the band are moving on with their lives and relying more on the reflective nature of their lyrics to narrate bad situations, not just the good or funny ones.