Nearly a decade after South African duo Easy Freak first began shaping the song that would eventually become their latest single, ‘Only Like You Do’ has finally found its way into the world, and it sounds nothing like where it started.
The funk duo, made up of Dom Hurd and Jude Kenrick, have revived the track for their upcoming album ‘The Touch’, turning what was once a slow, melancholic acoustic song into a groove-driven record that offers a glimpse into how far the pair have come as songwriters and producers since forming Easy Freak in 2016.
“Dom had written most of this track years ago when we first started EASY FREAK in 2016,” Jude tells us. “It was originally written for acoustic guitar as a very slow and melancholic song, but we changed the time signature, added some groove and funk, and brought it back to life.”
That process of revisiting the past while bringing it into the present feels particularly fitting for a band approaching its 10-year mark. Rather than simply dusting off an old demo, Easy Freak have used ‘Only Like You Do’ as an opportunity to demonstrate the evolution of their sound, and the increased confidence that comes from nearly a decade spent writing, producing and performing together.
“We’ve grown so much as songwriters and producers, and it’s always a fun time giving an older track a second chance,” Jude adds.
‘Only Like You Do’ also offers an early indication of what listeners can expect from ‘The Touch’, which arrives Dec. 11 via Ultra Records. The album represents a significant step forward in the duo’s musical ambitions, particularly in its use of live instrumentation.
For much of Easy Freak’s career, Dom and Jude have maintained an intensely hands-on approach to their music, composing, writing and producing largely in-house. On The Touch, however, that process has expanded to include a wider cast of musicians, allowing the duo to push their arrangements and explore a richer sonic palette.
For the new single, Clem Carr contributed string arrangements, with Freeman Gumede on bass, Gloria Boyi on strings and Zama Zwane providing backing vocals. Josh Berry handled the mix, while the track was mastered at Stardelta Audio Mastering in the UK.
“The album will be the first body of work where we’ve truly been able to express our musicality with all the live instrumentation,” Dom adds.
That sense of musical exploration extends beyond the recordings themselves. The duo has also assembled a creative team around the project, with Jonty Hurd, Liam Litton and Seb Burger helping translate the new music into its visual world and while ‘Only Like You Do’ is rooted in a song that has been sitting in the Easy Freak archives since the beginning, the album represents anything but a retrospective exercise.
‘The Touch’ is the product of a band that has spent years learning how to build and sustain its own career. For most of their time together, Easy Freak have operated independently, an experience they say taught them how to remain self-sufficient while developing their sound and audience.
Now, with the duo signed to Ultra Records, the American label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, they are entering a new chapter without relinquishing that independent spirit. “We’ve always been fiercely independent since we started out,” the duo says. “That taught us a lot about how to remain self-sustaining, and that’s definitely played a big role in us being able to stick around for almost 10 years. Even though we’re now signed to a major label, we’re still very involved in absolutely everything.”
That global ambition is already beginning to show. With the international reach of their music growing substantially over the past year and a half, the upcoming album arrives at a point where Easy Freak are no longer simply building momentum — they are expanding the world around the music.
For now, though, the focus remains firmly on the songs. Following their previous release in December 2025, the duo have spent the intervening months creating what promises to be one of their most substantial bodies of work yet, with a steady run of music and content planned ahead of the album’s release.
They have also recently moved into a new studio, giving them a fresh environment in which to continue writing and experimenting. “We recently also moved into a new studio space, which we’re super excited to start writing new music here,” they share. “There’s also been a lot happening behind the scenes that we’re setting up for the future. It’s all been a blessing.”
In that sense, “Only Like You Do” feels like more than just the first taste of The Touch. It is a neat snapshot of where Easy Freak are now: looking back at where they started, taking what still works, throwing out what doesn’t and giving themselves permission to make something new from it.
Listen to ‘Only Like You Do’ below and read more music news here.
