Founded in Manchester in 2013 and maintained ever since by members: Theo Tobias, Ronan Clowes, Alex Howes, Andrew Keaveney and Thomas Short, Easy Kill refer to their music as Doom-Pop, a sort of melancholy made catchy.
Emphasising words and music equally makes for a live show that flows unpredictably from dreamy reveries to moments of intense catharsis. Theo’s lyrics are candid and often darkly comic in their discussion of the mind, expressing a simultaneous excitement and fear about life. The band do not demand a thoughtful audience, but will no doubt engage to make them so.
The band’s first release, ‘Already Entitled EP’, was well received by numerous music blogs throughout 2015; ‘Sermons’ is the logical next step. Gradually honed live over many months, these tracks have taken shape on a broader, more dynamic, canvas. Embracing new songwriting forms and production ideas, it’s the sound of a band figuring out new directions, revelling in the possibilities and growing at an extraordinary rate.
We were astonished by Sermons, so we contacted the band and interviewed them! For us they are the new Maccabees, but darker.
What is your all-time favorite song ?
Luther Van Dross – Never Too Much. I defy anyone who doesn’t say this is their favourite song.
Which song is perfect for a road trip?
Brian Jonestown Massacre – Anemone. One of those songs that makes you feel like you’re in a film.
To which song do you like to clean?
Teengirl Fantasy – Cheaters (John Talbot Vocal Refix). It makes you feel righteous.
What’s the perfect song to wake up with?
Bill Withers – Lovely Day, cause you know its gonna be a lovely day. Or Waltz #1 by Elliott Smith (if it isn’t gonna be a lovely day).
Who’s your favorite artist from your home city?
The Smiths. Don’t think we need to explain why they are special!
Which artist do you think is underrated and which one is overrated?
Underrated: Frog. Those guys are really unique and no one seems to have heard them in their own country.
If you could be one artist for a day, who would that be?
Bruce Springsteen – he seems like a happy chap with plenty of routine.
What’s the best song to make love to? (…to ask someone out?)
Swans – Mother of the World (it was intense).
What’s the most beautiful lyric you’ve ever heard?
Nick Drake – Riverman: ‘Betty said she prayed today/For the sky to blow away/Or maybe stay/She wasn’t sure’. It’s really ambivalent and haunting, and probably quite true to how plenty of people think.
At which place would you love to play a concert?
We would love to play the Royal Albert Hall with an orchestra (this shouldn’t be too expensive). I think this is probably what any UK artist aspires to at some point.
Find Easy Kill here:
