Easy Life, see you later maybe never
Island Records
Easy Life are the latest band to release a set of quaran-tunes, in the form of peanut butter and petty crime: the see you later maybe never demos. Their lo-fi, laidback sound is so familiar that the tracks are unrecognisable as demos, feeling as slick and groovy as the best of Easy Life.
First track peanut butter strips Easy Life back to their dreamy, synth-pulsing roots, Murray Matravers’ delivery of the down-to-earth lyrics effortlessly chilled. “Kitchen cupboards”, and “leafy suburbs” are the perfect fit for an ode to domestic bliss; much like its name, peanut butter is wholesome and sweet without feeling even a tiny bit sickly. Brassy punctuation, and twinkling harp flourishes undercut the track’s simplicity and elevate the real-world mundanity Matravers sings about onto a magical plane – expertly done.
For every bit of softness in peanut butter, petty crime replaces it with tongue-in-cheek, electro-beat driven boppiness. The piano intro might feel like we’re headed for a melancholy tune, but the punchiness as the beat kicks in will upturn any of those assumptions instantly. Where peanut butter was a heartfelt love letter to casual happiness, petty crime weaves an entertaining almost-melodrama – Matravers says “she must be into petty crime”, describing youthful mischief, shoplifting and driving fast, before suddenly this girl is breaking into his home and robbing him. The track’s story feels sitcom-esque before developing into a critique on coming into fame, and it’s an irresistible banger to boot.
see you later maybe never isn’t the most uplifting title Easy Life could have chosen in the current scenario – there’s not a 2020 festival left in sight. But we’ll allow it, because (especially after Junk Food) peanut butter and petty crime are the ultimate silver lining.
see you later maybe never is out now.
