Interview: hard life (FKA easy life) Discuss Their Unapologetic New Era & the Many Layers of Upcoming Third Album, ‘onion’

hard life's Murray Matravers
hard life's Murray Matravers
Murray Matravers of hard life (FKA easy life) opens up about the band’s emotionally charged and creatively unfiltered single “othello,” the many layers of their upcoming third album ‘onion,’ and the bold new sonic era that finds him reclaiming his voice, his vision, and giving zero f**ks.
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Stream: “othello” – hard life




This is the album I always wanted to make. It’s raw and honest in a way that I’ve never been before. I also think the production and sonics of the album are pushing new boundaries for me – it feels exciting.

* * *

When we were first reintroduced to Murray Matravers’ rebranded band last June, he came in hot, heavy, and unapologetically honest.

It’s a hard life, I can’t lie, it’s been a rush,” he sang over a sped-up version of Natalie Bergman’s soul-soaked single, “Keep Those Teardrops from Falling,” heart on sleeve, emotions pouring out.

It was the first taste of what would become a new chapter, and perhaps even a new band altogether. After a turbulent two-year stretch riddled with legal battles and existential reckonings, the British group formerly known as easy life have returned as hard life – a retooled, reinvigorated incarnation carrying the same emotional core, but with sharper teeth and edge. Times may have been tough, but pressure makes diamonds – and out of their darkest period, they have reemerged with renewed confidence and undeniable swagger.

othello - hard life
onion – hard life

othello,” hard life’s first release of 2025, arrived in early April alongside news of their third (or first, depending on how you look at it) studio album, onion (set to release July 18th via Island Records). A bold, contemplative track steeped in heartbreak, dual-meaning, and unflinching self-awareness, “othello” plays on the tension between clarity and confusion, presence and absence, and how things are never as “black and white” as we make them out to be. Drawing on both the board game and the Shakespearean tragedy, the song explores the emotional fallout of a relationship unraveling – a moment when everything that once felt certain suddenly slips through your fingers.

It′s never black and white,
it’s playin′ on my mind like othello
And as we intertwine,
you make my upper lip shake like jello
And before I could get my words out,
there was nothin’ but thin air
And before I could check my radar,
there was nothin’ but thin air
She said, “See you later alligator”
Lacoste crop-top on the escalator
Said she′s goin′ through
a bad time, been a hard ride

So she wore a bomber jacket and a detonator
Shoulda worn a high-vis,
don’t turn down your brightness
What is life without
all of the herbs and all the spices?
Shakin′ like arthritis, puttin’ in a night shift,
tunin′ up the voltage

It was the last track Matravers wrote for the upcoming album, and one that still felt fresh, raw, and immediate by the time he was choosing singles – both thanks to its tone and its subject matter.

 “‘othello’ felt like the obvious choice because it hints at the new sonic universe of hard life without being too much of a departure from what fans might have become used to,” Matravers tells Atwood Magazine. “I went through a really traumatic breakup with a long-term partner and this was written towards the end of that experience. All of a sudden, this person that was there in your life has vanished and you feel incredibly alone. ‘othello’ deals with this feeling of someone stepping back and waving goodbye. Anyone that has been through it, I’m sure can relate – that shit hurts bad.”

The song’s hypnotic refrain, “nothin’ but thin air,” becomes a mantra of absence, an ache where love used to live – of the emptiness within the space once filled by another. And yet “othello” never sinks under its sadness; it’s buoyed by creativity, wit, and a fearless sense of artistic freedom.

Can you supercharge my electricity
before you cut off my supply?

I think I’m drownin′,
think I’m in too deep

On my way up, my brain is fried
It’s never black and white,
it′s playin′ on my mind like othello

And as we intertwine,
you make my upper lip shake like jello

And before I could get my words out,
there was nothin’ but thin air

And before I could check my radar,
there was nothin′ but thin air
hard life's Murray Matravers
hard life’s Murray Matravers



As the first tease off onion, “othello” also hints at what’s to come from hard life’s forthcoming LP.

“This is the album I always wanted to make,” Matravers shares. “It’s raw and honest in a way that I’ve never been before. I also think the production and sonics of the album are pushing new boundaries for me; it feels exciting, I’m obsessed with the record – all my friends are sick of hearing it.”

Matravers is happily in his no-f**ks-given era, making music that is authentically and unapologetically his own. Maybe it’s a result of getting older, and maybe there’s some lingering disillusionment from the legal battle and forced name change – whatever the case may be, there’s no denying that hard life is going hard.

“I genuinely give so much less of a f*** about other people’s opinions,” Matravers laughs. “Sure, it would be lovely if people dig the album, but if they don’t, that is also okay. I made it for me, and I love it and I learnt a lot through the process. The music is braver than ever and I feel like I’ve made something unique – I haven’t been in this space for a very long time, so it feels good to be back in a place where I’m creating purely with the intention of getting something out of my system. It’s freeing.”

For all the chaos and heartbreak that’s fueled this new chapter, there’s also a sense of perspective – a quiet recognition of how far Matravers and his bandmates have come, and what it means to still be standing.

“We, as a band, have been through so much the past couple years – lots of which I can’t go into detail about for legal reasons,” he says. “We no longer take anything for granted – every show is special, whereas before it started to feel like just another show. I suppose gratitude is the word.”

“It’s a hard life, I can’t lie it’s been a rush”: easy life Return As hard life With Triumphant Single “tears”

:: REVIEW ::



If “tears” signaled easy life’s resurrection into hard life – and the emotional rollercoaster that came with it – then “othello” is the sound of them keeping calm and carrying on, heads held high.

It’s a bold, cathartic, and unfiltered return to the spotlight, and one that is sure to get fans excited about the many layers still to be revealed on onion.

“Welcome to the new sonic era of hard life,” Matravers smiles.

We caught up with Murray Matravers to talk about this transitional period, the story behind “othello,” the layers (and literal origins) of onion, and how, through it all, he’s come to reclaim his voice, his vision, and the freedom to not give a f**k.

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:: stream/purchase othello here ::
:: stream/purchase onion here ::
:: connect with hard life here ::

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Stream: “othello” – hard life



A CONVERSATION WITH HARD LIFE

othello - hard life

Atwood Magazine: Welcome “back,” Murray! It's been so great to hear new hard life music, and I feel like “othello” is a perfect reintroduction and reminder of who you and the band are, and what your music is all about. That said, why did you opt to come back into the fold with this track? How do you feel this song serves as a reintroduction – and a look at what’s next?

hard life: Thank you, so good to be back. “othello” felt like the obvious choice because it hints at the new sonic universe of hard life without being too much of a departure from what fans might have become used to. It was also the last song that I wrote for the album, so it also felt the most fresh – perhaps that’s just recency bias, but I’m glad it’s out in the world and people are vibing it.

You've talked about this track being a pun on the board game and the Shakespearean tragedy – “It′s never black and white, it's playin′ on my mind like othello.” What's the story behind this song for you, and does it have any special, personal significance?

hard life: I used to work behind in the pub and othello, the board game, was always out and being played by the locals. For that reason it is really nostalgic for me. It’s a tactical game where you try and be a few moves ahead of your opposition and the song is centred around a romantic break up – of course, despite both people having the best intentions, these things can sometimes turn into a bit of a game of chess, or othello in this instance.

You also said that this song captures “that moment of uncertainty, where someone leaves your life, and there’s a profound emptiness that takes over as you wallow in the unknown.” Can you share more about that feeling and how it drove (or drives) this song?

hard life: I went through a really traumatic breakup with a long-term partner, and this was written towards the end of that experience. All of a sudden this person that was there in your life has vanished and you feel incredibly alone. Of course, the feeling of loneliness can push you closer towards yourself and a lot of growth and positivity can come from this place, however the initial feeling is incredibly sad and isolating. “othello” deals with this feeling, someone stepping back and waving goodbye. Anyone that has been through it, I’m sure can relate – that shit hurts bad.

You continuously repeat, “nothin' but thin air” throughout the song. It becomes a mantra, a phrase so filled with emotion and release; what does it mean, for you?

hard life: Again, like above, all of sudden they have vanished, disappeared into thin air. This line highlights the emptiness within the space that used to be filled by another.

hard life's Murray Matravers
hard life’s Murray Matravers



I’ve got to ask about the onion imagery: First of all, it seems like you guys found the perfect Spanish onion for the cover, so kudos! Shrek analogies aside, what does the onion represent for you, for hard life, and for this new era in the band’s story?

hard life: Why, thank you very much indeed. It is a very beautiful looking onion, I must say. Funnily enough, despite all the fan theories I see on Reddit, the reason the album is called onion is because I named it after the studio in which it was written, onion studio in Shirokane, Tokyo. Of course, we played with the theme of onions, there is actually a song called “OGRE” and also the opening track is called “tears,” both of these are intentional onion references. However, the cold hard truth is that it’s simply named after the studio – this is my Beatles’ Abbey Road.

Obviously ‘onion’ is also the title of your upcoming third album (or hard life’s “first,” not sure how it works exactly). Can you share a little bit about what fans new and old can expect with this new record?

hard life: This is the album I always wanted to make. It’s raw and honest in a way that I’ve never been before. I also think the production and sonics of the album are pushing new boundaries for me – it feels exciting! I’m obsessed with the record – all my friends are sick of hearing it.

othello - hard life
The imagery for hard life’s third LP, ‘onion’: “It is a very beautiful onion, I must say.” – Murray Matravers



hard life: I don’t know if this is just me getting older, but I genuinely give so much less of a f**k about other people’s opinions. Sure, it would be lovely if people dig the album but if they don’t that is also okay. I made it for me and I love it and I learnt a lot through the process. The music is braver than ever, I feel like I’ve made something unique, I haven’t been in this space for a very long time so it feels good to be back in a place where I’m creating purely with the intention of getting something out of my system – it’s freeing.

They say the more things change, the more they stay the same - but sometimes, we’re changed forever, and that’s final. How do you feel you yourself have changed in the past few years since MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE…’s release, and how have you stayed the same?

hard life: So much has changed. We, as a band, have been through so much the past couple years- lots of which I can’t go into detail about for legal reasons. That said, I think as individuals we have all come out of it with a new perspective and a rekindled appreciation for the project. We no longer take anything for granted – every show is special, whereas before it started to feel like just another show. I suppose gratitude is the word.

easy life’s ‘MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE…’ Is a Party Unlike Any You’ve Attended

:: INTERVIEW ::



Lastly, what do you hope listeners take away from “othello,” and what have you taken away from making and releasing this song?

hard life: Take from it what you will. Or don’t. Welcome to the new sonic era of hard life. If people find solace in the lyrics then great , or if it’s just the background music for a house party or BBQ, also great. I don’t know, music gives different people different things so who knows that othello’s story will be, perhaps we will find out. That’s actually one of my favourite things about writing songs, often years later someone will tell me how it affected them or impacted their life and that blows my mind and keeps me writing. Watch this space I guess.

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:: stream/purchase othello here ::
:: stream/purchase onion here ::
:: connect with hard life here ::

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Stream: “othello” – hard life



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othello - hard life

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