First site to score an interview with fresh, new Glaswegian indie-poppers, Easy Days? You bet. Grab a cuppa and read my catch-up with Ryan and Jack now.

RECORD WEEKLY’S INTERVIEW WITH EASY DAYS

Hey guys, how’s it going?

Ryan: Amazing, Imogen. Buzzing to be doing our first interview. Hope you’re doing well yourself!

All good here, thank you!

Jack: We’re absolutely grand, happy to be chatting.

Easy Days now have three banging singles out — congrats! Tell us a bit about yourselves individually and when and how you formed the band.

Jack: The two of us — Ryan and I — have actually been best mates our whole lives! Our mums are best pals and we lived next door to each other for about ten years.

Ryan: Wow, what a compliment, thanks Imogen! Yeah, I’ve been like that annoying younger brother to Jack since we’ve been wee guys. We’ve been through quite a lot together and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be doing this with than my big bro and my other three bros in the band — Brend, Croartz and Dunny. Absolute gents x

Jack: The band was formed initially during the first lockdown, when Brendan (lead guitarist) and I decided to start a new project after our previous band bit the dust. We were writing for a wee while and, when restrictions began to ease, we wanted to get a band together. We tried out a couple of people who didn’t quite fit what we were going for. I was in a band previously with Chris (our drummer) and knew how talented he was, so I invited him along to a practice session and it clicked instantly. Then came Ryan.

Ryan: I just remember Jack and I were having some scran and chatting about their new tunes. Somehow, by the end of the conversation, I was in the band… Jack knows Croartz from previous musical stuff and Dunny is my best mate from uni. We’ve all got on so well together. We probs also have the best fives team in the music scene.

Aw what a group you’ve assembled then!

What kept you going throughout the lockdowns? Did you pick up any new hobbies?

Jack: My girlfriend, friends, family and music kept me sane. Everyone went through a tough time and I was no different, but surrounding myself (virtually) with the right people made it a whole lot more bearable.

Ryan: I’m much the same as Jack here. I needed that virtual contact with my pals to keep me going and, obviously my girlfriend and my mum and dad were the only people I saw for a while. Thankfully we get on alright x

Don’t think I picked up any new hobbies, but maybe just got a bit more serious with songwriting.

Which artists have influenced your sound the most?

Jack: I think we have a really eclectic taste collectively and individually. It’ll be interesting to hear Ryan’s perspective on this, but I would say we’ve all bonded over artists like Blossoms, The 1975, Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles. Those bands have definitely influenced what we’ve released so far.

Personally, the way I play has been influenced by jangle pop and indie bands like The Smiths, Orange Juice, The Housemartins and The Cure.

Ryan: I think we’re all big music people and have such a varied taste, so it’s difficult to say what’s most influenced us as a band. Pretty much anything from the Bee Gees to Donna Summer, The Cure to Mac DeMarco covers the spectrum for me. I am a sucker for some Blossoms melodies, though — those boys know how to write a banger.

Some of you are also in other bands — does that keep things quite fresh and exciting?

Jack: That’ll actually just be Chris who plays in White Novels. He seems incredibly fresh but there’s question marks over how exciting he is…

Haha, I’m imagining some eye-rolls from him right now.

Ryan: I’m actually a Glen Campbell/Eagles cover act at all of my family parties…

If you could play any three venues around the world, which would they be and why?

Ryan: Barras [Barrowland Ballroom], anywhere in Manchester we can get as packed as possible, and that place U2 played… I think it’s like Red Rocks or something over in the States.

Oh yeah, Red Rocks in Colorado is an absolutely staggering natural amphitheatre for concerts.

Jack: The Barras, Brixton Academy and Castlefield Bowl.

Talk us through your upcoming plans then — any gigs and/or new releases on the horizon/imminently?

Jack: We’ve got a massive show supporting Cassia at Saint Luke’s, which we can’t wait for. It’s an incredible venue and I can’t wait to play there again. The calendar is already filling up for next year, so watch this space!

Ryan: As Jack said, we have a huge gig coming up very soon, which we’re all buzzing for! We’ve also just finished recording our next single with our boy Bruce Rintoul at 45 A-Side in Glasgow. Can’t wait for people to hear it once it’s ready to go!

You’re going to want to keep tabs on Easy Days from now on. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Spotify pronto, because they’ll be delivering plenty of ace things really soon.