Hard Life

Originating from Leicester, the indie/R&B ensemble Easy Life occupies the divide separating indie pop from hip-hop through the creation of laid-back, tuneful tracks packed with memorable refrains. Their first extended play, Junk Food, surfaced in 2020, with the album Life's a Beach following in 2021.

Murray Matravers, responsible for vocals, synth, keys, and trumpet, assembled the group spontaneously in 2017 by recruiting his musically inclined acquaintances Oliver Cassidy on drums and percussion, Sam Hewitt handling bass, sax, and backing vocals, Lewis Berry on guitar, and Jordan Birtles covering percussion, keys, and backing vocals. Their opening single "Pockets" appeared within a year and achieved widespread online attention, resulting in a contract with Island Records during 2018. The label then issued two mixtapes, Creature Habits in 2018 and Spaceships in 2019, ahead of the formal debut EP Junk Food in 2020. The next year brought their initial full-length release, Life's a Beach, which realized the potential of engaging pop/rock compositions focused on self-love and acceptance. A subsequent pair of singles, "Beeswax" and the Kevin Abstract-assisted "Dear Miss Holloway," emerged the year after that.