Album Spotlight: Steven James’s “easy”

Following the release of his first EP Lazy Gay (2020), Steven James returns with renewed grit and tenderness on Easy. Fusing a penchant for psychedelic surf rock with notions of Brooklyn’s late-aughts DIY push, the LA-based producer and songwriter riffs on stoner introspection with equal authenticity and style. Alongside ricocheting guitars and road-trip-primed rounds are Sunday-morning musings on an uncertain future and a stalled state of being. 

At its core, Easy courts the euphoria of power pop and the resolution of self-produced alt rock with a shiny finish, finding a home in the restlessness and aspiration of an LA-via-NYC escapist.