Hard Life

Hard Life started out as Easy Life, a band that lived up to its name with easy, laid back, mellow grooves, seemingly care-free tone, and catchy songs that actually dealt with angst in a variety of ways. Then they became Hard Life, a band with darker feel and more R&B inspired sound with hip-hop influences, where the breezy summer pop was replaced by an elevated level of restlessness and feelings of discomfort. Vocalist Murray Matravers has a way to slip back and forth between speak-singy cadence and rapping, often maintaining a lackadaisical delivery. What used to be a quiet, below the surface melancholy is now much closer to the surface. That said, the band continues to put together compelling music, perhaps coming from a somewhat different place.