The fast-growing Leicester band Easy Life are back with their debut album, ‘life’s a beach’.
With the album’s release date brought forward to 28 May, fans were able to listen to the new tracks a week earlier than expected.
The first track ‘a message to myself’ starts the record with a distinctive harpsichord introduction. The bizarre instrumental choice may be a surprise to listeners who expected the typical dreamy synth/techno style of the band’s previous work, as in their ‘spaceships mixtape’ EP.
The good news for those listeners is that this element is introduced later in the song, actually making an interesting combination with the harpsichord.
The use of unique sounds is a feature that weaves throughout the whole album, and it’s clear that the band has freely incorporated more distinctive effects and sounds to set the album apart from their previous singles.
The next song ‘have a great day’ is more typical of the band’s unique sound with smooth, upbeat vocal harmonies and a relaxed guitar riff that, reflective of the title of the album, gives tropical beachy vibes.
The beach theme transitions into the more melancholy track ‘ocean view’ as the lyrics paint a vivid picture of a day at the seaside, for example: “You and me by the sea, working on our tan lines / Tangerine dream, I watch you swim, I watch you dive”.
Once again, the emotional and honest lyrics are a strong feature of Easy Life’s music that a lot of people can relate to.
A stand-out song on the album is ‘skeletons’.
On my first listen, I thought the spoken-word voices were a bit odd and out of place. However, after re-listening, it became a catchy feature that adds a personal aspect to the song.
The repetition of the word ‘skeletons’ also makes the song extremely catchy and, combined with the fast beat and 1980’s synth-style, it’s a good tune to dance to and would go down well at a party.
Easy Life essentials like ‘nightmares’ – which was released back in 2018 – plus the 2020 single ‘daydreams’, are included in the album which adds some familiarity to the tracklist that fans may enjoy when listening.
In addition, the speculation that life’s a beach will be Easy Life’s big breakthrough means that these classic songs can be discovered by new audiences and given even more hype.
Only days after its release, life’s a beach reached the number two position in the Official Albums Chart.
With its catchy tunes and chilled-out vibes, it’s surely also on its way to becoming the soundtrack for the summer.
Rating: 9/10
Feature Image Credit: Island Records