Love isn't easy. At least, that's what the new Netflix anthology comedy Easy sets out to show viewers. Created by writer/director/actor Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies, You're Next) — who also directed an episode of the recent Netflix relationship comedy Love — the streaming service's newest original series tackles the vagaries of life and, yes, love in the Windy City. The eight self-contained episodes are filled with recognizable actors including Malin Akerman, Orlando Bloom, Hannibal Buress, Aya Cash, Dave Franco, Jake Johnson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Elizabeth Reaser. Each episode of Easy also culminates in an end credits song that perfectly encapsulates the half-hour that came before it.
Coming from Swanberg, a mainstay of the so-called "mumblecore" movement, it shouldn't come as a surprise that, when put together, these songs basically sound like the soundtrack to a Brooklyn hipster's life. They're perfect for a brisk fall day; you can totally throw on a trendy scarf, put on a jaunty hat, and stroll through the streets listening to this music while basically feeling like the coolest person around.
Have a listen for yourself, and then stream the quirky series on Netflix — it'll only take you four hours to watch the whole thing! As a note, Bustle has reached out to Netflix for the titles of all unknown songs and will update accordingly.
Episode 1: "I Wanna Prove To You"
This song from Long Island indie pop band The Lemon Twigs perfectly summarizes the theme of the first episode, "The F*cking Study," in which Elizabeth Reaser (Grey's Anatomy) and Michael Chernus (Orange Is The New Black) play a couple trying to reignite their sex life.
Episode 2: "A Great Snake"
In the second episode, "Vegan Cinderella," a bacon-loving meat-eater falls in love with a vegan activist. Hilarity ensues. Unfortunately, you can't listen to this track yet — also by The Lemon Twigs — but you can when their first studio album Do Hollywood hits shelves on Oct. 14.
Episode 3: "Houses"
Dave Franco and Evan Jonigkeit (X-Men: Days Of Future Past) play brothers who open an illegal brewery together in the appropriately titled "Brewery Brothers." Of course these craft beer-drinking siblings would rock out to Elyse Weinberg, an obscure artist from the '60s whose biggest hit was this track featuring Neil Young on the guitar.
Episode 4
Unknown at this time.
Episode 5
Unknown at this time.
Episode 6: "Shut Up Kiss Me"
This song by folk singer Angel Olsen — which was just released earlier this summer — acts as the ideal coda to the standout episode "Utopia," in which Orlando Bloom and Malin Akerman play a couple using the wonders of Tinder to try to set up a threesome.
Episode 7:
Unknown at this time.
Episode 8: "Sightly Sue"
Franco and Jonigkeit return in the season's final episode, "Hop Dreams," as their fledgling business unsurprisingly runs into some snags. The last sound audiences will hear as Easy fades to black for the last time this season is this song from the 1972 LP In Debt by folk duo Cooley-Munson.
You may be able to marathon Easy in a flash, but you can keep the themes alive by listening to these songs on repeat until the show hopefully gets renewed for a Season 2.
Images: Patrick Wymore, Scott Garfield (2), Zac Hahn (2)/Netflix
