Extrazen - What To Do With Your Hands

“Whatever you’re trying to do…just make sure to look at your hands first”.

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS is the second EP by Portuguese-born alt-pop artist Extrazen. The seven-track project has some fun moments, but overall doesn’t quite stick the landing.

The biggest strength of the project is unquestionably the production, handled by Extrazen himself. The beats are colorful, atmospheric and trippy in places, with some hard-hitting bass giving them additional impact and making them very fun. Some synth segments in particular are very impressive. Another big positive is the vocal delivery: Extrazen’s cadences are largely confident and energetic, with a lot of swagger to them, making him a very engaging performer and allowing him to keep up well with the energy of the instrumentals; he also does well with softer, more low-key and melodic deliveries.

However, the EP also has a few flaws that can’t really be ignored. Unfortunately, despite the brief length of the project (just under 22 minutes), the EP doesn’t end up being the most memorable. The first half of the project (tracks 1-4) isn’t the most interesting lyrically, having lofty ambitions conceptually but ultimately falling short on the execution. I can appreciate the personal content, but I believe that some of it ends up coming across as fairly surface-level, cheapening the overall weight of the tracks. The second half (tracks 5-7) are better, though. The production becomes more unconventional, and the vocal deliveries take up a somewhat more vulnerable tone; “BACK TO LIFE” strikes me as a particular highlight.

In conclusion, I believe that there is definitely an audience for this EP - it unquestionably has merit, and the potential to resonate with people. I believe this is a step in the right direction for Extrazen from his previous EP, I THINK I THINK TOO MUCH; however, I think there’s still quite a bit of room for improvement.

6.0/10

Released by Sony Music Entertainment