hard life

Hard Life, formerly known as Easy Life, is a British band from Leicester formed in 2017 by frontman Murray Matravers (vocals, keyboards, trumpet) alongside bassist and saxophonist Sam Hewitt, drummer Olly Cassidy, guitarist Lewis Berry and Jordan Birtles on percussion, keys and backing vocals. They emerged from Leicester's local scene with a genre-blending sound that pulls together indie, hip-hop, R&B and lo-fi pop influences into a laid-back, hazy signature style.

The band's debut single «Pockets» arrived in 2017 via Chess Club Records, and its later inclusion on the FIFA 19 soundtrack helped drive their profile, leading to a deal with Island Records. Momentum continued to build with tracks like «Earth», named Annie Mac's Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1 in 2019, and a headline slot on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury that same year. Their debut studio album, life's a beach, followed in May 2021.

In late 2023 the band changed its name from Easy Life to Hard Life amid a legal dispute with the airline easyJet over trademark, despite the band having formed years before easyGroup acquired rights to the easyLife name — a episode that became part of the group's public story without altering their core sound or lineup.