1. THE MAN – The Killers (1)
2. HOLDING ON – The War on Drugs (6)
3. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (4)
4. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (5)
5. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (7)
6. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (2)
7. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (8)
8. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (13)
9. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (14)
10. RUN – Foo Fighters (3)
11. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (9)
12. SUIT AND JACKET – Judah & the Lion (16)
13. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (15)
14. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (10)
15. HIGH – Sir Sly (11) 19th week on list
16. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (12) 20th week on list
17. IT’S A TRIP! – Joywave (18)
18. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (19)
19. WALK ON WATER – 30 Seconds to Mars (20)
20. HIGHWAY TUNE – Greta Van Fleet (N)
1. THE MAN – The Killers (1)
2. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (2)
3. RUN – Foo Fighters (3)
4. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (6)
5. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (7)
6. HOLDING ON – The War on Drugs (8)
7. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (11)
8. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (10)
9. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (4)
10. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (5)
11. HIGH – Sir Sly (9)
12. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (12)
13. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (14)
14. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (15)
15. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (17)
16. SUIT AND JACKET – Judah & the Lion (19)
17. ONE OF US – New Politics (13)
18. IT’S A TRIP! – Joywave (20)
19. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (N)
20. WALK ON WATER – 30 Seconds to Mars (N)
1. THE MAN – The Killers (1)
2. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (4)
3. RUN – Foo Fighters (5)
4. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (2)
5. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (3)
6. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (6)
7. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (8)
8. HOLDING ON – War on Drugs (9)
9. HIGH – Sir Sly (7)
10. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (12)
11. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (14)
12. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (10)
13. ONE OF US – New Politics (11)
14. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (17)
15. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (18)
16. LIGHTS OUT – Royal Blood (13)
17. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (20)
18. DIG DOWN – Muse (16)
19. SUIT AND JACKET – Judah & the Lion (N)
20. IT’S A TRIP! – Joywave (N)
1. THE MAN – The Killers (3)
2. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (1)
3. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (2)
4. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (4)
5. RUN – Foo Fighters (5)
6. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (7)
7. HIGH – Sir Sly (6)
8. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (9)
9. HOLDING ON – The War on Drugs (10)
10. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (8)
11. ONE OF US – New Politics (12)
12. THE NIGHT WE MET – Lord Huron (13)
13. LIGHTS OUT – Royal Blood (11)
14. UNFORGETTABLE – French Montana, Swae Lee (N)
15. COLD LITTLE HEART – Michael Kiwanuka (16)
16. DIG DOWN – Muse (17)
17. SO TIED UP – Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs (N)
18. LITTLE ONE – Highly Suspect (N)
19. DOING IT FOR THE MONEY – Foster the People (14)
20. LOVING YOU IS SO EASY – Wide Eyed Boy (N)
Wide Eyed Boy is an exceptionally talented New Wave/Indie Pop band that’s quickly becoming one my favorites. The Liverpool, UK based four-piece is comprised of Oliver Nagy (Vocals), Jonny Ball (Guitars), Kobi “Danger” Pham (Guitars, keyboards) and Tom Taylor (Drums). They released a gorgeous debut single “Wolves” last March, which I reviewed, and you can read here. (It’s one of my favorite songs of 2017, reaching #1 and spending 18 weeks on my Weekly Top 20.)
The guys recently dropped their follow-up single “Loving You Is So Easy,” a track slower in tempo than “Wolves,” but every bit as beautiful. I didn’t think it possible they could come up with another song as magnificent as “Wolves,” but how foolish I was to think that, because Wide Eyed Boy have pulled it off nicely. Lush sweeping synths, Ball and Pham’s swirling guitars, Taylor’s on-point drums, and Nagy’s captivating vocals are all simply breathtaking. The song lyrics are fairly straightforward – “I don’t care the way you care. I can see it in your stare. But the way that we collide, it’s getting harder every time. Loving you is so easy. Easy when I’m down, down, down” – but Nagy delivers them quite seductively, before launching into a soaring falsetto in the chorus that raises goosebumps.
The video produced for the track is stunning. The minimalist set and subdued lighting, accentuated with background fluorescents, create the perfect mood for the sensuous track. I much prefer music videos that show the artist or band performing the song, rather than an acted-out story, unless it’s directly relevant to the lyrics. Of course, it’s always a plus when the band is charismatic, and Wide Eyed Boy has it in spades. Nagy has a magnetism that calls to mind the legendary front men Jim Morrison or Michael Hutchence.
1. HIGH – Sir Sly (1)
2. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (2)
3. DOING IT FOR THE MONEY – Foster the People (3)
4. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (4)
5. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (5)
6. DON’T TAKE THE MONEY – Bleachers (7)
7. BELIEVER – Imagine Dragons (6)
8. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (8)
9. J-BOY – Phoenix (10)
10. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (11)
11. THE MAN – The Killers (12)
12. DIG DOWN – Muse (14)
13. SILENT SUN – Morning Fuzz (15)
14. IN COLD BLOOD – alt-J (9)
15. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (20)
16. REDBONE – Childish Gambino (16)
17. LIGHTS OUT – Royal Blood (19)
18. WOLVES – Wide Eyed Boy (13) 18th week on list
19. ONE OF US – New Politics (N)
20. REVEREND – Kings of Leon (17)
1. HIGH – Sir Sly (2)
2. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (1)
3. DOING IT FOR THE MONEY – Foster the People (4)
4. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (5)
5. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (6)
6. BELIEVER – Imagine Dragons (3)
7. DON’T TAKE THE MONEY – Bleachers (7)
8. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (9)
9. IN COLD BLOOD – alt-J (10)
10. J-BOY – Phoenix (11)
11. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (17)
12. THE MAN – The Killers (18)
13. WOLVES – Wide Eyed Boy (8)
14. DIG DOWN – Muse (14)
15. SILENT SUN – Morning Fuzz (15)
16. REDBONE – Childish Gambino (16)
17. REVEREND – Kings of Leon (13)
18. GIVE ME REASON TO DIE – Dyslexic Postcards (12)
19. LIGHTS OUT – Royal Blood (20)
20. THE WAY YOU USED TO DO – Queens of the Stone Age (N)
1. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (1)
2. HIGH – Sir Sly (3)
3. BELIEVER – Imagine Dragons (2)
4. DOING IT FOR THE MONEY – Foster the People (5)
5. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (6)
6. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (8)
7. DON’T TAKE THE MONEY – Bleachers (7)
8. WOLVES – Wide Eyed Boy (4)
9. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (11)
10. IN COLD BLOOD – alt-J (12)
11. J-BOY – Phoenix (14)
12. GIVE ME REASON TO DIE – Dyslexic Postcards (13)
13. REVEREND – Kings of Leon (9)
14. DIG DOWN – Muse (16)
15. SILENT SUN – Morning Fuzz (18)
16. REDBONE – Childish Gambino (19)
17. EVERYTHING NOW – Arcade Fire (N)
18. THE MAN – The Killers (N)
19. THE VIOLENCE – Rise Against (20)
20. LIGHTS OUT – Royal Blood (N)
1. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (1)
2. BELIEVER – Imagine Dragons (3)
3. HIGH – Sir Sly (4)
4. WOLVES – Wide Eyed Boy (2)
5. DOING IT FOR THE MONEY – Foster the People (6)
6. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (10)
7. DON’T TAKE THE MONEY – Bleachers (8)
8. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (17)
9. REVEREND – Kings of Leon (9)
10. SIGN OF THE TIMES – Harry Styles (5)
11. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (12)
12. IN COLD BLOOD – alt-J (13)
13. GIVE ME REASON TO DIE – Dyslexic Postcards (14)
14. J-BOY – Phoenix (16)
15. LOVE IS MYSTICAL – Cold War Kids (7)
16. DIG DOWN – Muse (19)
17. BLAME – Bastille (11)
18. SILENT SUN – Morning Fuzz (20)
19. REDBONE – Childish Gambino (N)
20. THE VIOLENCE – Rise Against (18)
1. FEEL IT STILL – Portugal. The Man (3)
2. WOLVES – Wide Eyed Boy (1)
3. BELIEVER – Imagine Dragons (4)
4. HIGH – Sir Sly (6)
5. SIGN OF THE TIMES – Harry Styles (2)
6. DOING IT FOR THE MONEY – Foster the People (9)
7. LOVE IS MYSTICAL – Cold War Kids (5)
8. DON’T TAKE THE MONEY – Bleachers (10)
9. REVEREND – Kings of Leon (11)
10. THE SYSTEM ONLY DREAMS IN TOTAL DARKNESS – The National (19)
11. BLAME – Bastille (7)
12. FEELS LIKE SUMMER – Weezer (14)
13. IN COLD BLOOD – alt-J (15)
14. GIVE ME REASON TO DIE – Dyslexic Postcards (16)
15. SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS – The Chainsmokers, Coldplay (8)
16. J-BOY – Phoenix (N)
17. CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU – Spoon (N)
18. THE VIOLENCE – Rise Against (17)
19. DIG DOWN – Muse (20)
20. SILENT SUN – Morning Fuzz (N)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 