While folk singer-songwriter Tom West has already found success with his song “Easy, Love” off of his 2015 album Oncoming Clouds he explains that there was more to revisit from this “benchmark” track after letting it “float around” for a few years. West wasn’t wrong, as this new live acoustic version of “Easy, Love” allows listeners the pleasure of savoring every word he sings. With its slower and stripped back approach, West showcases his feathery vocals, giving them the opportunity to shine atop wistful instrumentation. Derailing slightly from the original, West introduces a female voice to the mix, which adds to the story of longing after love. With this addition, the last half of the song includes both parties pleading together in harmonious unison and heartbreaking desperation to “go easy on me, love.”

West explains that as he’s grown as a songwriter over the years, he always found himself referring back to the original “Easy, Love” as a “template for how to combine a relatable, catchy chorus with surrounding context that sets the scene.” Adding, “it was definitely one of the first songs I wrote where I think the imagery and music clicked in a nice and approachable way.” Reimagining the track allowed for his “mellower interpretation” to strike listeners with a heavier sense of reflection and introspection than his “more excitable original.” The song is meant to explore what it feels like when an intimate relationship comes to an end. West shares that the song “reflects the moment when a relationship loses the thrill and ease of its early days.” Consequently, the character at hand is faced with a decision: “do I want to work on this, or let it go?” With the question at hand, West skillfully brings about an added layer to the original which resembles something of tender and nostalgic poignance.

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