EXTRA LIFE: PRESS
PRESS (Selects)
“Existential terror is a rather difficult feeling for a piece of art to inspire. For it to work, the artpiece has to be able to pull the audience out of their selves and place them in the point of view of a foreign mind…. One might ask though why we need art like this, art that produces dread and foreboding, art that violently pulls the audience out of themselves. In that very formulation though is the answer. Without this tension, without artworks that inspire it, we never leave ourselves… However, it’s only with the feeling that Made Flesh evokes that we can actually get a better view of ourselves and why we think like we do.”
- Andrew Beckerman, Dusted Magazine
“… scarily focused and ruthlessly complex in a postprog sort of way, but also flirts with a dark, sumptuous art-pop vibe. The end product is relentless, enveloping and frequently gorgeous.”
- Time Out New York
“… the vocals rat-a-tatting with the drums at the end of “Blackmail Blues,” the upward offerings of “The Refrain” — these are master works. The album itself is called Secular Works, but this stuff feels somehow religious in its fervor.
- Stereogum
“Extra Life exudes an exuberant and visceral sound missing from many of the band’s artier peers, yet maintains a musical complexity and intelligence in every song…. experimental groups should now be less concerned with big numbers than measuring up to what Extra Life has made.”
- Leor Galil, Washington City Paper
“[Made Flesh is] a genuinely remarkable and fearlessly high-minded album…. and its crashing appropriations of metal (especially on the epic closing track, ‘The Body Is True’) are probably going to be a bit much for your Uncut-subscribing End Of The Road-attending sort. It deserves every bit of acclaim it gets, though.”
- Noel Gardner, Drownedinsound
“Extra Life is the definition of experimental. Listening to their sophomore album Made Flesh for the first time is like being drenched by frost-cold water … Bands like Extra Life don’t come around everyday and by showing that they can do punchier songs as well as sprawling compositions, the band displays a level of musicianship and natural ability that makes for a totally mind blowing second album.”
- Dan Marsicano, 411Mania
“Original and innovative, but with overtones of Pink Floyd, The Swans, Sonic youth and classical music it is a sonic ride through the senses. If you have more than a passing interest in avant-garde you owe it to yourself to check out this stunning release.”
- Phil Styles , Bigdistraction
“Remarkable for its scope, depth and technical accomplishment, Secular Works is a devastating record that has the power to change minds, if only people hear it. Don’t miss out.”
- Charlie Wilmoth, Dusted Magazine
“Tension and restraint. Adornment and shedding. These are the balances that define Extra Life’s fantastic full-length debut, Secular Works…. It creates an aesthetic so grave and completely realized that it’s with the best sense of anxiety that I anticipate where Extra Life goes next.”
-Jeff Roesgen, Tiny Mixtapes
“Though highly original, complex, and aggressive, Extra Life still manages instances of beauty, melodic song writing, and lyrical ingenuity. Challenging, but still very rewarding, Secular Works is one the best albums of the year.”
- IndieRockReviews.com
“[Secular Works is] one of the most impressively adventurous and satisfying records in my collection; one of those rare blends of experimentation and quality song-writing that succeeds on every conceivable level.”
- Lucas Schleicher, Brainwashed
“[Secular Works] is a deep, dark, tremendous record…. nihilistic, destructive, but entirely captivating. Highly recommended.”
- Michael Pincott, Rave Magazine
