DHP Presents:
Easy Kill
Live at The Grace, London
EASY KILL come from Manchester, England. They consist of Theo Tobias, Ronan Clowes, Alex Howes, Andrew Keaveney and Thomas Short. ‘Phantom Pain’ is their first release on fierce panda, and is taken from their debut album, ‘Melanscholar’, which is due for release in September. The EASY KILL band celebrate the ‘Phantom Pain’ release with a launch party at London Lexington on July 19th.
The EASY KILL sound has been half-jokingly labelled ‘doom-pop’, a term which highlights the duality underpinning their music, wherein quiet thoughtful lulls are followed by louder moments of uplift or down-spiral. Chaos then clarity. The excitement and fear of being alive. Unsurprisingly then, ‘Phantom Pain’ is an intensely complex three and-a-half minutes, all spectral synthetic layers and perplexed vocals which are part sadfaced alt.rock party, part post-Alt-J sonic japery.
This intellectual angsty theme has been carefully honed in Easy Kill’s previous releases, the ‘Already Entitled’ EP (2015) and the ‘Sermons’ EP (2016). But it hits a whole new creative apogee with the ‘Melansholar’ album project, which sees EASY KILL running with the concept of life in the afterlife. Or, in their own words…
“‘Melanscholar’ is the debut album by Easy Kill. It follows the journey of a lost soul, trying to find its bearings in the afterlife. The story is an allegory about growing up and learning to adapt to circumstances outside of your control. The more Melanscholar can glean about what keeps it in this strange limbo, the greater its chance of passing through.
“The album was recorded entirely at home. Musically, it is dynamic and cohesive, supporting the narrative which is unstable yet persevering. The songs ebb and flow to match shifts in mood and place. To ensure the album’s message remains ubiquitous and accessible, the band have broadened their sonic arsenal. Using more atmospheric, warm and electronic sounds than before, they seek to immerse the listener in the unworldly landscape their ghost inhabits…”