By Tom Adams October 2022
Ever since their formation back in 2017, easy life have always embraced an all-or-nothing persona. Seventeen months after releasing their debut album life’s a beach - which went on to earn the number two position in the UK album charts - the Leicester-based quintet are ditching their bucket hat, day drinking, British seaside antics to enter a new era; this time, addressing the repercussions of their actions. The comedown of splitting from each other over lockdown after playing sold-out gigs across Europe and North America last year begged the question, similarly to the half-submerged car on the cover of life’s a beach, would easy life now stay afloat or sink when it came to album two?
Now, two months later than originally planned, the five-piece will finally release their eagerly anticipated sophomore album MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE… through Island Records, due October 5th. Speaking on the forthcoming record a few months ago, frontman Murray Matravers admitted how the band’s previous record was a learning curve of how the weight of expectation resting on a debut album can hinder confidence. But this time round, Murray, alongside drummer Oliver Cassidy, bassist/saxophonist Sam Hewitt, guitarist Lewis Alexander Berry, and keys/percussionist Jordan Birtles, take their complex electronic, hip-hop indie-jazz sound to a new level. MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE… breathes a far more complete record, and one with a noticeably more assured experimental sonic identity, fearless fluctuations of tone and extroverted lyrical wordplay, encompassing everything that has made easy life the uniquely distinctive group they’ve become.
This time, easy life are less explicit and unlike life’s a beach, this one feels more delicate, addressing what feels like some of Murray’s most personal thoughts on some of life’s inescapable hardships. MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE… represents a complete escape. It ponders what could have been, balancing life’s expectations with reality, and fantasises over seeking a world full of compassion, perhaps as mellow as the one found on the album’s brightly-coloured, animated cover.
Immediately listeners are treated to a new kind of compelling sound to add to the East Midland boys’ already genre-fluid repertoire. The third song ‘BASEMENT’ brings to life a house track where Murray appears in and out of touch with his surroundings, and is backed by a punchy nightclub-like bass sure enough to give anyone an ego-boost as the 26-year old roars “I don’t owe anyone an explanation… everyone thinks I’m amazing!” But anyone familiar with easy life knows they’re not serious with Murray appearing considerably more sensitive in ‘MEMORY LOSS’ just four songs later. Comically candid lyrics such as “I lost my virginity under a tree, now that’s some achievement” are juxtaposed by “everybody needs a little more happiness in their lives” in ‘BUBBLE WRAP’, which concludes with a real voice note Sam left Murray after a particularly bad day, provides a gentle reminder of the importance of checking in on those that matter - a running theme across the album. The final song, ‘FORTUNE COOKIE’, feels like a fitting response to Sam’s message, an uplifting yet melancholic piano symphony that concludes the album with perhaps its most meaningful, yet simple, lyric of them all, “just take care…”
Ultimately, MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE… feels like easy life have taken a big step forward. The record’s first single ‘BEESWAX’ perfectly set the tone for the album, experimenting with saturation and distorted audio, is backed by an equally strong visual identity based around animation following the band’s claymation video for their second single ‘DEAR MISS HOLLOWAY’. Exciting collabs with Kevin Abstract, BENEE and Gus Dapperton provide a captivating opportunity for the band to excel, with a fusion of lyrical witticism, melodic synths, energetic beats and melliflous sax destined to provide a lifeline to anyone in need of just a little reassurance in life.
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