"The Verse, the Chorus" is the first extended play released by the band Ivan & Alyosha

Ivan & Alyosha

Ivan & Alyosha is a folk-pop, indie, rock band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 2007 with the current members, Tim Wilson and Ryan Carbary. They were later joined by Pete Wilson and Tim Kim. In 2009 the band was recognized nationally by NPR during their coverage of SXSW.-History:Ivan &...

. It was released on March 10, 2009. It played a large role in the rise of Ivan & Alyosha's popularity.

Writing

It took Tim Wilson and Ryan Carbary around a year to write and record the EP. In October of 2007, the bandmates spent a few weeks in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 tracking with drummer Frank Lenz

Frank Lenz

Frank Lenz is a drummer from Southern California who has done work for many bands and artists, including but not limited to Starflyer 59, Daniel Amos, Crystal Lewis, Duraluxe, Map, Charity Empressa, Kevin Max, Cush and The Dingees.-Biography:Frank Lenz started taking drum lessons when he was eight...

 and producer Eli Thomson. They proceeded to spend six more months on the EP, record mixing at Avast! 2, in their hometown of Seattle, Washington, and mastering in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 by T.W. Walsh.

Track listing

1. Beautiful Lie
2. Once and Future
3. Easy To Love
4. Some Friend You Are
5. Wish I Knew
6. Normal People
7. You're on to Something

Easy to Love (Track Three)

The song "Easy to Love" was an unlikely hit, according to band member Tim Wilson. Tim and Ryan recorded "Easy to Love" at two in the morning, while working on the other tracks for the EP. It took them around an hour to record. The track was NPR's Song of The Day at SXSW in 2010. It also made the NPR SXSW top 100. "Easy to Love" is clearly one of Ivan & Alyosha's most popular songs, perhaps due to its simplicity, as Tim Wilson suggested in an interview.

Awards

In April 2010, at SXSW in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

, "Easy to Love" was named NPR

NPR

NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...

's Song Of The Day alongside a feature of Ivan & Alyosha.