They’ve been dominating the local airwaves with their smash hit single ‘Good Times’ all year and now, Easy Freak has finally dropped their second studio album ‘no LIES’. This week, we get up close and personal with Jude Kenrick and Dominic Hurd who open up about the process behind the new album.
You guys just dropped your second studio album ‘no LIES’. How different is this project to your debut album?
We’ve grown a lot as songwriters and producers and we feel that it shows in ‘no LIES’. We’re always trying to improve and get better and we feel like we’ve found our sound on this album. We were able to put in a lot more thought into the flow of this album with intros, outros, interludes – we had so much fun with it.
The album’s lead single ‘Good Times’ was a huge hit. Why do you think so many people identified with that song?
‘Good Times’ is definitely a song that a lot people seem to connect to. It’s got such a feel-good and positive approach to both the sound and the lyrics and that makes it relatable.
What inspired the lyrical content of that song?
The song is all about being yourself and not caring about what others think. Being in the music industry often means that you have to uphold a certain kind of image or standard of living, and we’re not about that. We’re not trying to be anything but ourselves.
Sonically, you pushed yourself in a new direction on this album. How important is it for you as a group to experiment when it comes to your music?
It’s definitely important to us, and we have too much fun doing that as well! We both listen to such different music; Dom is into a lot of R&B and old school funk, and Jude is into a lot of progressive and experimental jazz/R&B/hip-hop. Bringing all of those influences together makes writing and producing so much more fun! We always want to push ourselves to create unique music that we love.
Talk to us about what inspired some of the other tracks on the album and it’s message as a whole.
‘no LIES’ is all about being fully yourself, and not hiding behind any societal expectations of what you should be. There are tracks about love and loss, tracks all about hyping yourself, a track about McDonalds, and more gentle and vulnerable tracks as well. We got to work with some amazing local artists like Darkie Fiction, Robin Thirdfloor and Muzi – which was such an honour.
You guys give an epic live show. What do you think audiences look for when watching a band play live?
We try to always give our best live show. We have the privilege of having amazing dancers (Hungani Ndlovu and Fiona Ketting) and sax/keys player (Clem Carr) join us on stage. These guys take our show to the next level. I think that audiences want to see artists put in effort into the production of live shows. People want to be wowed.
You made the big move from Durban to Johannesburg this year. Why do you think this step was so important for your careers?
The move the Jozi was one of the best decisions we’ve made! We’ve been able to connect with some amazing musicians, producers, agencies, and we’ve been blessed enough to build an amazing team around us who have been instrumental in our progress. This city is so culturally rich and that 100% inspires us and our creativity.
The relationship between the two of you is incredible to see. Why do you think the two of you work so well together when it comes to making music?
We have so much fun working together. It’s always cool having somebody to bounce ideas off; to have a different opinion. We both listen to such different music and that makes for a pretty unique sound when we come together.
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