Extrazen is Portugal's Hidden Gem, and 'WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS' May Be Its Youth's National Anthem
Featured Image Credit: Tiago Pestana
Just this morning, I was listening to the R&B classic 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' while getting ready, and then walking the streets to a local café I frequent. There, I drank coffee, ate lunch, and was completely oblivious to the masterpiece I was yet to encounter just mere moments later. That masterpiece was the Portuguese rapper/producer Extrazen's sophomore EP 'WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS'.
The EP spans seven tracks and comes in at approximately twenty-one minutes, each of which is overflowing with talent and attention to detail. '360 DEGREE PALM STRETCH' is the introductory track to the EP, and also, my introduction to Extrazen. It begins with a soft-spoken sentence from an unnamed woman, asking the listener, "What should I do with my hands?" Followed by a fuzzy industrial beat, which slowly but surely becomes increasingly polished as the track progresses. Fuzziness, you either love it or hate it. Personally, I love it. When a track becomes too polished, one becomes at risk of losing the personality which is intrinsic to the track, and Extrazen manages to maintain that personality not only on this track, but throughout the EP as a whole.
'HOLLYWOOD' is a continuation of the indie-electro-rap sound that Extrazen has solidified himself as a rising star in. Yet, it's also got a carnivalesque vibe to it, an ode to his homeland. Moving on, if you're a fan of Aminé's 'REEL IT IN' or Tyler, The Creator's 'I Ain't Got Time!', then Extrazen's 'PLASTER ME' and 'STUNT' will be strong contenders for your playlist rotation.
Many rappers who have solidified their place as a household name over the last decade share one superpower: the ability to drop bars in a single take. Each track has an intensity to it, a sort of star-power if you will, but 'MEANING' is like a bullet, a shot straight to the heart, and each lyric is like shrapnel infecting your bloodstream. There is a vulnerability on display on this track that is missing on others, and from this point on, the EP's tone takes a darker turn - think what 'iridesence' was for BROCKHAMPTON after the Saturation trilogy.
Lonesome keys full of soul introduce the penultimate track 'BACK TO LIFE' slowly becoming fuller with the addition of deep, bassy, synths and finally accompanied by Extrazen's melodic vocals, singing rather than rapping. This track is a testament to Extrazen's ability to perfect both slow ballads and fast-paced rap.
'DON'T YOU WORRY' closed the EP exquisitely.
Five out of seven of the tracks are accompanied by a music video, which is almost unheard of for smaller acts in the capitalistic cycle that the music industry has become slave to in recent years. Each video was directed by João Morgado, an independent Portuguese director, and the cinematography is astounding. Each video tells a story and is visually appealing, and like its soundtrack, it's oozing with creativity.
It appears that Extrazen and Morgado are a duo that truly understands each other on a creative level - as a pair, they are unstoppable.
