He has been a regular contributor to music magazines such as the NME, Record Collector, Classic Pop, and Planet Sound, which he edited from 2001 until its closure in 2009.

Earls is noted for helping to launch the careers of several future chart acts by featuring their demo tapes in Planet Sound's review section.

[3][4] Earls started writing professionally following a 1991 work experience placement at football magazine When Saturday Comes, continuing to cover the sport on an infrequent basis as he moved into the realm of entertainment journalism.

[2][5] During the 1990s Earls worked as a showbiz reporter for The Sunday People; he left the newspaper in 1999, becoming a teen entertainment writer for Teletext (the successor to ORACLE).

[7] He gave early exposure to chart bands such as The Twilight Sad, Maxïmo Park and Hope of the States, by featuring their demo tapes in the magazine's review section.