Emerging onto the scene in 2017 with their debut cut “Pockets,” the quartet quickly established their prowess in producing insatiable pop numbers. Succeeded by 2018’s EP, Creature Habits Mixtape, and their first full-length effort, “life’s a beach” in 2021, the band have found themselves aloft a pedestal.
Returning this year with their sophomore album MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE…, Easy Life are once again urging us not to underestimate their abilities. Rife with a handful of impressive features and sitting at an ambitious sixteen tracks long, the band’s latest project boasts optimism and maturity. Moving through narratives abound with silver linings and social navigation, MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE… offers an uplifting and conceptual approach to the chaos and disparities found in modern life.
Staying true to their smooth, breezy sounds, the opening number “Growing Pains” sets the scene with ballad-like infusions that wouldn’t be found too far amiss on a Steve Lacy record. Opting for softer sounds amongst their back catalogue of energetic cuts with this new record (“Skeletons” and “7 Magpies”), “Beeswax” features hip-hop reminiscent melodies, as the band still find themselves tied up in a 'post-lockdown' world. Talking on oversharing and the scrutiny of living under a social microscope, Matravers urges for privacy in his affairs (“It's none of your business / You should mind your beeswax”). Sitting in the same vein of laid-back, care-free vocalisations are ”Bubblewrap” and “Memory Loss” which take their place as the raw ballads on the record.
Perhaps one of the most impressive collaborations on the record, the Kevin Abstract featured “Dear Miss Holloway” follows on with societal themes, but instead stabs at expectations versus reality in the era of social media. Other features include BENEE with “OTT” and Gus Dapperton’s “Antifreeze” which boasts bedroom-pop intonations intertwined with impressive vocal ranges.
Coming in with a punchier rap approach, tracks “Crocodile Tears” and “Basement” feature infectious basslines and offer themselves up as the highlights on the record, but the heart of the album lies firmly in its ability to evoke emotion through melancholy lines and melodic lyrical performances. The Mac Miller reminiscent vocals present on “Fortune Cookie” close the record with stylistic fashion, in a bold yet gentle final hurrah that perfectly rounds off Easy Life’s latest departure in alternative rock.
With MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE…, Easy Life have seemingly picked apart the best parts of some of the most influential artists around and amalgamated it into their own unique sound.
