Lately Scandinavian bands have been making major waves on the musical front and so today, we are happy to ride that wave by premiering the new single ‘Crystal Waves’ from Easy, one of Sweden’s most notable indie groups. This is a very timely release with 2020 marks the 30-year anniversary of their highly acclaimed debut ‘Magic Seed’ LP. So too will the legendary band release their new album ‘Radical Innocence’ via A Turntable Friend Records.

The track is a briskly sweeping jangle-pop/symphonic hybrid with a touch of longing vocals.The accompanying culturally relevant video (found below) was produced by Ian Holmes. This ought to go down well with or without a pint, for anyone who has ever loved Johnny Marr, Electronic, The Courteneers, Miles Kane, early Blur, The Dentists, The Prisoners or The Jasmine Minks. Scandinavia’s answer to The Smiths, the new single from music stalwarts Easy goes down every bit as easy as their seminal album 3 decades ago, attesting to their continued significance to listeners here and now.

NME once wrote about them “what they’re doing right now is intrinsically more valid than most of the inadequate who clog up record space in the Rough Trade shop. Simple, really”. One of many reviews attesting to their notable impact.

Back in the day, the group frequently toured Britain and Europe. While their ambitious ‘Sun Years’ LP (1994) had less of an impact than their debut album, singles ‘Never Seen a Star’ and ‘Listen to the Bells’ clearly demonstrated that the band had taken several musical steps forward.

Easy suddenly disbanded in 1994, with members becoming involved in other projects. The mark they left was notable – when returning to Sweden years later, they found a new Indie scene full of bands inspired by their uniqueness and success, having toured all over Europe with bands like The Gun Club, The House of Love, Lush, The Charlatans and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Easy had something special with elements from pop history – the perfect combination of Sonic Youth-like intensity and the sweet harmonies of The Beach Boys.

In 2010, the group reunited with the original line-up, consisting of Johan Holmlund (vocals), Rikard Jormin (bass), Tommy Dannefjord (drums), Tommy Ericson, and Anders Peterson (guitars). The reunion spawned the albums ‘Popcorn Graffiti’ (2012) and ‘Swimming With the Beast’ (2014), marking a new era of inspiration for the band.

The ‘Radical Innocence’ LP is Easy’s first new album in a decade. It is also the band’s third release via German label A Turntable Friend Records, the first being the ‘Magic Seed’ LP reissue in 2017 and the 2018 release of ‘A Heartbeat from Eternity’, a user-friendly compilation of the two previous albums, along with the fresh new single ‘Ask the Sky’. The group played live shows in the UK and Germany.

With a songwriting-production cycle that began in late 2018, the band worked with legendary producer Pat Collier, who was responsible for many of their favorite records, at his Perry Vale Studios in London. Everything has come full circle, as the band returned to the British capital, where they recorded their debut album 30 years earlier. But this was kind of a new start on their path as a band towards creating perfect pop songs.

‘Radical Innocence’ is an 8-track offering and their most ambitious album to date. Here, Easy is being easy. The songs are coherent and more refined than on previous albums. This new album also involves a new member – Ingvar Larsson, Moog and keyboard master for post-punk outfits Camouflage and Dogsmile.

Working with Collier and Larsson helped the band to further refine their sound, achieving organic pop songs with sweet melodies, sharp guitars, impactful drumming, and clever lyrics.

As of February 21, ‘Crystal Waves’ will be available across digital stores and streaming platforms like Spotify and Bandcamp. The ‘Radical Innocence’ LP will be released on April 24, and will be available on vinyl, CD and digitally.

CREDITS
Johan Holmlund – lead vocal
Tommy Ericson – guitar
Anders Petersson – guitar
Rikard Jormin – bass
Tommy Dannefjord – drums
Ingvar Larsson – keyboards
Lyrics and music written by Easy
Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Pat Collier at Perry Vale Studios

LIVE SHOWS
Mar. 6 Gothenburg, Sweden – Valandhuset
May 2 Stockholm, Sweden – Bar Brooklyn (album launch event)

Delve a bit into their back catalog – you won’t regret it:

EASY
Website
Facebook
Bandcamp
Spotify
Apple Music
A Turntable Friend Records