After capturing the attention of the masses with EP It’s Going Well... last year in October, Atlanta’s Be Easy capitalize on the momentum of praise which has garnered the band with debut full-length I Hope You Hear Me.
Evident from the start, Be Easy steadily ease you in with the beginning rings of Dreamcatcher, exploding into a euphoric ambience while vocalist John Buice sings “I can’t lay my head, I need to know this is worth fighting for", before progressing onto first single Not My Month, where the subtle arpeggios linger with poignancy. Be Easy show how they are a band with a new refined take on song-craftwork which may have restricted them before.
On Barnegat Light vocalist/guitarist John Buice’s words of "So I’ll sit outside on my own, a thousand miles of pavement..." almost carve a portal to the convenience of his misfortune in the tone of his voice. Drive-Thru Life comes across as confessional and earnest as the toils and mundane machine of life on the road are presented projecting the implications this lifestyle can have on the self. The record then slips into the beginning rings of Giving Up as the bass drop sparks the splint of the track to blaze at an exhilarating speed with its thunderous blast beats before transitioning into one of the most memorable choruses on the record.
Throughout I Hope You Hear Me a distinct notion of progression from the band is prompted. The production (handled by Jesse Cannon who has previously worked with Man Overboard and Transit) is magnificent only enhancing the uplifting ambience on the record. I Hope You Hear Me is succinct and although compiled of only ten songs, the record is however is direct and bold cutting away any excesses and stays on the direction of encapsulating your attention at every opportunity.
Carrying on with the second half of the record, Raindance is haunting where the tone of Nathan Merida’s bass is chilling and distinct forcing your ears to be attentive to every sonic element present. On Raindance the track whirls with a hazy ambience warming you up into Bury Me, where you are compacted with the stripped acoustic ode of John Buice. Be Easy ease into the acoustic environment perfectly. The song also ensues the classic memorable chorus on first listen which stays locked inside your head with "You’ve locked me out and now I’m done, I’m underground I can’t see the sun, I guess it’s all that I can do...". On Bury Me listeners are given the opportunity to submerge themselves within the textures of and melodic ridges that form Buice’s voice.
The brightest moments on the record however are both Drowning and Penpal. On Drowning nostalgia screams for all of its destructive reasons in its words and achieves its projection in a way which could be empathized by everyone, as Buice sings "I still get that sinking feeling when I pass by your house and all these old songs are taking me back tonight..." only cements this. Penpal is perfectly laced in the whirls and radiance of Pop Punk which is what had always been undeniably magnificent. Even the most resistant listener wouldn’t be able to turn away and not be moved as it crescendos, evoking the wells of euphoria to overlap as Buice narrates a cinematic visual of raw untapped emotion with "I take this pen and stab it in your back, just like you did to me, I hope you hear me, I’m tearing up your letters I hope I don’t see you..." enveloping you. Dilemma closes the record and is another example of where the band pulls at all the stops to salvage last moment of your attention.
I Hope You Hear Me is remarkable in what it achieves, showcasing a band who has matured for the better, now showing a grasp over a songwriting craft which can accentuate the great elements of their music. I Hope You Hear Me is monumental, succinct and grand distancing itself from its former skin where it was restricted and soars surpassing contemporaries.
Tracklist:
1. Dreamcatcher
2. Not My Month
3. Barnegat Light
4. Drive-Thru Life
5. Giving Up
6. Raindance
7. Bury me
8. Drowning
9. Pen Pal
10. Dilemma
Rating:
Written by Aaron Akeredolu
