Extralife
| Extralife | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 23, 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:31 | |||
| Label | More Doug Thirty Tigers | |||
| Producer | Dan Cardinal | |||
| Darlingside chronology | ||||
| ||||
Extralife is the third studio album by the American Folk band Darlingside. It was released on February 23, 2018, by More Doug Records and Thirty Tigers.[3]
Release
[edit]On February 7, 2018, the band announced the release of their third studio album, along with the single "Futures".[3] The music video for the single, which was directed by Keith Boynton, features a time traveler's attempt to reset the balance of the world.[4] Darlingside's lead vocalist Don Mitchell explained the single: "'Futures,' to me, is about taking our collective dread for what's to come and turning what could be a helpless feeling into a call to action, however insignificant that action might feel at the time. It’s about steering hard away from the worst of those futures, which feel closer to us now than ever, and actively setting up better ones in their place."[4]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| American Songwriter |  [6] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [7] |
| Blurt | [8] |
| Louder Than War | 9/10[9] |
| PopMatters | 9/10[10] |
Extralife was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 81 based on 7 reviews.[5] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 82 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 5 reviews.[1]
James Christopher Monger of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, explaining: "A refreshingly optimistic take on the early 21st century's obsession with dystopian themes, the 12-track set deals with social, political, and environmental complications with measured grace and some truly dexterous arrangements. Extralife imagines a future that's not bereft of suffering or hardship, but tempered with hope and brimming with life."[2] Hal Horowitz from American Songwriter gave the release three-and-a-half out of five, explaining: "Softly strummed guitars, cello, violin, bass and even the occasional synthesizer provide the predominantly acoustic musical backing to honeyed, moving and impeccably crafted tunes that seem to be delivered from the heavens."[6] Writing for The Austin Chronicle, Rachel Rascoe noted the band's third studio album is "a lovely sunrise eulogy to modern uncertainty", while explaining "the Boston foursome's anxiously blissful take on apocalyptic concerns bends toward chamber pop after past Americana leanings, the 12 tracks grounded in plucky instrumentation and energetic harmony."[7]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Darlingside, unless noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Extralife" | 2:34 | |
| 2. | "Singularity" | 3:42 | |
| 3. | "Futures" | 4:45 | |
| 4. | "Hold Your Head Up High" | Caitlin Canty | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Eschaton" | 4:21 | |
| 6. | "Old Friend" | 2:28 | |
| 7. | "Lindisfarne" | 4:26 | |
| 8. | "The Rabbit and the Pointed Gun" | 1:17 | |
| 9. | "Indian Orchard Road" | 4:43 | |
| 10. | "Rita Hayworth" | 0:50 | |
| 11. | "Orion" | 3:53 | |
| 12. | "Best of the Best of Times" | 2:52 |
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Americana Albums (OCC)[11] | 13 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[12] | 45 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] | 10 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[14] | 9 |
Personnel
[edit]|
Band Members
Additional Musicians
|
Production
|
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Album of the Year". Album of the Year. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c Christopher Monger, James. "Extralife. - Darlingside". AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ a b "Darlingside: UK Tour and New Single 'Futures'". Folk Radio UK. February 7, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Crawford, Robert (February 1, 2018). "See Harmony-Rich Band Darlingside's New Animated Video for 'Futures'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Extralife". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (February 20, 2018). "American Songwriter Review". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Rascoe, Rachel (April 20, 2018). "The Austin Chronicle Review". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Moore, John. "Blurt Magazine Review". Blurt. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Kean, Jon (February 22, 2018). "Louder Than War Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Whitelock, Ed (February 28, 2018). "Indie Folk Band Darlingside Confronts the Apocalypse on 'Extralife'". PopMatters. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Darlingside Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Darlingside Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
