There’s a particular kind of songwriting that only arrives when you stop trying to write it. That’s the space The Hunter Express found themselves in with ‘Easier’, the Melbourne outfit’s hard-hitting new single, which we’re proud to premiere here at Backseat Mafia today.
A soft bubbling intro over a synth drone gives way to a chill delivery redolent of The The: slowly moving, studied and posed with a sinuous, sensuous feel. Ellis’s vocals are deep and sonorous, imbued with an insouciance and swagger, while circular synth riffs stab and dance in the ether. It’s an enigmatic delight.
It’s the sound of a band who’ve spent close to a decade orbiting the same project, following its own gravity rather than a formula — intimate at first, then gradually widening out until it’s carrying the full weight of the band behind it.
Frontman Brad Ellis explains the song came out of a long period away from music, and out of watching someone he loves go through something unimaginable:
‘Easier’ is my song to the broken. It’s my nod to a John Wick kind of feeling. The months after releasing our third album in 2019, I found it difficult to write new music. Writing new music is what I love most. Even in the rough times I somehow find joy. Then life hits and someone close to me went through the most unimaginable experience. I put music aside, spending most of my energy supporting and loving that person and their little family. Easier. Throughout the months, I’d just say out loud ‘Easier, easier for you, why can’t it be any easier?’ The words would come and go. The song and chorus was forming almost by itself. I like those songs the most, the ones you don’t need to force. Because they come from a space that’s real.”
That refusal to force it is exactly what makes ‘Easier’ land. Grief and care don’t move in straight lines, and neither does this song — it sits with the discomfort rather than resolving it, which is what gives it its ache.
‘Easier’ is the second single lifted from the band’s upcoming EP ‘Gold Fades‘, due October 2 and recorded with producer Gormie (Angie McMahon, Stella Mozgawa). It follows lead single ‘Over Everything’, which picked up airplay on Triple J’s Country Club, Triple J Unearthed’s Slow Burn, and rotation on ABC Country.
‘Easier’ is out tomorrow on all major streaming platforms and via here. ‘Gold Fades’ EP lands October 2.
