February 16, 2018 - W&O Street Tracks
Will Easton is a young guy from Leeds. He does not have much of an online presence, but that is alright because he will be paying a team of talented social media wizards to make him look awesome across the web soon enough. That’s how good his debut release is. Waze & Odessey’s W&O Street Tracks label is known for it’s bass-heavy-techno-infused-house-n-disco music, and 18 Month Free Trial fits the bill. I’m going to proceed with this review under the assumption that Will Easton created all three of the tracks on the EP within an 18 month free trial period for an undisclosed music production software, in which multiple 3 month free trials were finagled together in order to give Easton enough time to flesh out the little seedling ideas into the beautiful flowering plants they have become.
All three of the tracks fall around the 6:40 mark, feature a similar structure, and utilize a lot of the same instrument and audio elements. There is no overt progression through the tracks, though personally I would compare the order of the tracks to a sandwich. One of those Double Down meat monstrosities, honestly; the middle track ‘Take it to the Bridge’ is the least interesting and filling of the trio sandwich, but that’s alright because the two pieces of bread are made of fried chicken covered in hot sauce.
’18 Month Free Trial’ comes in strong with a dark, hearty kick that gets our appetite going. Easton teases in the main melodic synth before adding a rolling sub that really turns on the gastric juices. The track falls into typical a cat and mouse structure, teasing elements back and forth before pulling everything back to really let the synth shine with a varied chord progression. This formula works great for live play, which certainly seems to be on Easton’s mind. The elements are simple and stay out of each other’s way; there are no real auditory breaks, but he gets the audience craving the rich and rolling bass.
The middle track ‘Take it to the Bridge’ is the weakest of the trio, but more because of the strength of the other two tracks than any specific failing of its own. The more densely populated production contains a chip bass groove dotted with bouncy hands-in-the-air piano stabs. Though it’s certainly a busier cut, it doesn’t have direction other than skirting the line of chaos.
‘Karma’ is where it all comes together for me. Granted, I’m a sucker for a good arpeggio, but this track immediately feels more mature than the previous two cuts. A delayed vocal reverberates in and out of the rhythm, yearning for days of raving long past. This is definitely a late nite track ripe for making intoxicated merrymakers “feel something.” As the song winds down and elements take their leave, one gets the feeling after the lights come on in the movie theater. You’re no longer transported to a far off magical place full of wonder. You might still have the memories of it, but elements of the real world are starting to take their place.
It’s too early to make a call on Will Easton. It certainly seems like he has a promising career beginning to form. From his Instagram account, he seems to be hitting it off well with the likes of Elliot Adamson and Patrick Topping which are two great choices for industry friendship. I would say that there’s no way this EP was a fluke one hit kinda deal, but I don’t want to jinx it so I won’t. But if its too late and it is jinxed, then at least we have this killer trio of tracks to remember Easton by. 🍍