In the magazine May 2021

Featuring Easy Life, The Vaccines, Squid, Jessie Ware and loads more.

If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes, you’ve just gotta give in and go with the flow. And for the cover stars of our May issue, that’s definitely become a bit of a mantra. Yes, that’s right, this month, we’re celebrating the release of Easy Life’s sublime and satisfying debut ‘Life’s A Beach’.

From their humble beginnings - think, y’know, literal potato farming - through to becoming one of the UK’s most hyped young bands, the past few years have been wild for the Leicester five-piece, and with the release of their long-awaited debut finally on the horizon, we decided it was about time we took a deep dive into their journey so far.

“We’re the most unlikely pop stars ever,” frontman Murray Matravers grins in our cover feature. “It’s all a very elaborate joke that’s got out of hand. I’m definitely not the best songwriter ever. Definitely not the best singer. Definitely just here for a good time. I love just going on stage and getting my kit off and going mad. I love that shit, it’s so much fun.”

Elsewhere this month, things get topical with The Vaccines, who give us the first word on their new album (ooh-er), we keep the party going with Jessie Ware, as she gears up to share the deluxe version of her sexy 2020 record ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’, and we step into the bizarrely brilliant world that Squid’s debut ‘Bright Green Field’ inhabits.

There are also chats with Biig Piig, Iceage, Bachelor - the new project from Jay Som and Palehound - and Alfie Templeman, as well as a guide to DIY’s newly-announced Big Bank Holiday Weekender, for which tickets are on sale now(!!)

Plus, we look back at Tyler, The Creator’s iconic album ‘Goblin’ in Hall of Fame, while this month’s Neu section features profiles on incredible new acts Paris Texas, CMAT, Audrey Nuna and Rachel Chinouriri.

Fancy getting your hands on a copy? Order the issue below and get it sent straight through your letterbox!