Extralife

On February 7, 2018, the band announced the release of their third studio album, along with the single "Futures". 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.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/see-harmony-rich-band-darlingsides-new-animated-video-for-futures-205622/|title=See Harmony-Rich Band Darlingside's New Animated Video for 'Futures'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Crawford|first=Robert|date=February 1, 2018|accessdate=October 11, 2020}} 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."

{{Music ratings

| MC = 81/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/extralife/darlingside|title=Critic Reviews for Extralife|work=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=October 30, 2018}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last1=Christopher Monger|first1=James|title=Extralife. - Darlingside|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/extralife-mw0003142416|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=October 30, 2018}}

| rev2 = American Songwriter

| rev2score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/darlingside-extralife/|title=American Songwriter Review|website=American Songwriter|last=Horowitz|first=Hal|date=February 20, 2018|accessdate=October 11, 2020}}

| rev3 = The Austin Chronicle

| rev3score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2018-04-20/darlingside-extralife/|title=The Austin Chronicle Review|work=The Austin Chronicle|last=Rascoe|first=Rachel|date=April 20, 2018|accessdate=October 11, 2020}}

| rev4 = Blurt

| rev4score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://blurtonline.com/review/darlingside-extralife/|title=Blurt Magazine Review|work=Blurt|last=Moore|first=John|accessdate=October 11, 2020}}

| rev5 = Louder Than War

| rev5score = 9/10{{cite web|url=https://louderthanwar.com/darlingside-extralife-album-review/|title=Louder Than War Review|website=Louder Than War|last=Kean|first=Jon|date=February 22, 2018|accessdate=October 11, 2020}}

| rev6 = PopMatters

| rev6score = 9/10{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/darlingside-extralife-review-2540477880.html|title=Indie Folk Band Darlingside Confronts the Apocalypse on 'Extralife'|website=PopMatters|last=Whitelock|first=Ed|date=February 28, 2018|accessdate=October 11, 2020}}

}}

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. Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 82 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 5 reviews.

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." 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." 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."

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Darlingside, unless noted

| title1 = Extralife

| length1 = 2:34

| title2 = Singularity

| length2 = 3:42

| title3 = Futures

| length3 = 4:45

| title4 = Hold Your Head Up High

| writer4 = Caitlin Canty

| length4 = 3:37

| title5 = Eschaton

| length5 = 4:21

| title6 = Old Friend

| length6 = 2:28

| title7 = Lindisfarne

| length7 = 4:26

| title8 = The Rabbit and the Pointed Gun

| length8 = 1:17

| title9 = Indian Orchard Road

| length9 = 4:43

| title10 = Rita Hayworth

| length10 = 0:50

| title11 = Orion

| length11 = 3:53

| title12 = Best of the Best of Times

| length12 = 2:52

}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Band Members

• Don Mitchell – lead vocals, guitar
• Harris Paseltiner – guitar, vocals
• David Senft – bass, drums
• Auyon Mukharji – violin, vocals

Additional Musicians

• Ariel Bernstein – percussion
• Alec Spiegelman – flute
• Jonathan Dely – trumpet
• Caitlin Canty – backing vocals

{{col-2}}

Production

• Peter Bradley Adams – engineer
• Jeff Lipton – mastering
• Dan Cardinal – engineer, mixing, producer

{{col-end}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Darlingside albums

Category:2018 albums