Easy Life - Maybe in Another Life - Album Review
4 stars
In true Easy Life style, the bands new album starts with the song ‘Growing Pains’ a feel-good tune with a heavy beat and ballad-like lyrics. This sets the tone perfectly for the mixed genre tracks that follow.
After forming in Leicester in 2017 the bands progress has skyrocketed and for good reason. They released their first single, "Pockets" in November 2017 and have since come second in the 2020 edition of the BBC’s sound of… and is on to their third album release.
Since the early days of the band, they’ve had a loyal and enthusiastic fan base. During their tour in October, the band introduced some of their new songs live for the first time and fans embraced these tracks with a warm welcome and the usual jumping and screaming that happens at an Easy Life concert signalling their approval.
Compared to their last album, Life’s a Beach, the new music is a lot more energetic and boomy throughout. However, as the name suggests, the album does have some slower songs with more meaning and storytelling. The concept of this album appears to be about reflecting on the past, growing up and what could have been. In an interview with NME lead singer Murray said: “I had all this time to reflect on the journey so far... I was thinking of all the decisions we had to make along the way and how we ended up here.” demonstrating his personal struggles and vulnerabilities in the album whilst maintaining an upbeat melody for most songs.
Although the album has been well liked, some have argued that the band have become more pop-heavy and left behind their individuality that makes them so appealing. Their collaborations with Kevin Abstract and BENEE seem to be the most pop like on the album. This could be a result of working with new artists and adapting their styles as well as the bands own or the industry wanting to churn out chart hits. On the other hand, I think the ‘Maybe in Another Life’ album could be a further spin on the usual mix of electronic, hip-hop and indie-jazz that the band do. With the use of more sonic sounds and dipping into an alternative genre with Gus Dapperton on the track ‘Antifreeze’ which includes more singing than other tracks and develops into more electronic sounds and voices.
Throughout the album there is repetition of the title ‘Maybe in Another life’. This makes the tunes flow and feel like a complete story which is ended with ‘Fortune Cookie’. This is one of the more overtly emotional and personal songs. Since released, it’s been revealed that this heart-warming track about mental health was written about another band member.
A new era for Easy Life has arrived. With sonic sounding ballads and personal confessions bringing the music to a new level, Murray’s iconic voice brings the classic sound of the band to life.
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By Aaliyah Dublin