The Extensions - High Charisma (2023) Hi-Res

“The Extensions deliver lyrics with a wonderfully unique take, giving themselves room to get loose, while still delivering music with their usual precision.” – You Don’t Know Jersey

“One of the Top 30 NJ Artists to Know” – NJ.com

Swing. With a lowercase S. Ask a million people what it is, you’ll get a million different answers. It’s elusive, it hides out. It calls no genre home. Try too hard to get it, and you can kiss it goodbye. The Extensions took indie rock’s best impulses, wove them together with some Prince, some early 70’s McCartney, and landed right on top of it. And their latest, the High Charisma LP, isn’t even the long-gestating 7th record by a band who finally got it just right. They’ve only put out a handful of singles and EP’s so far, including 2019’s debut Bellicose EP and their last release, the scorching Live at House of Independents EP, which dropped earlier this year.

And that limited catalog is by design – it’s a project born of careful curation. Some bands just know where they want to go, and more importantly, how to get there. The Asbury Park NJ 5-piece is simply one of those bands. They’re also one of those bands who’ve built a reputation of being professional and reliable behind the scenes, and energetic and entertaining on stage. Having swing woven into your DNA is half the battle when it comes to owning the stage you’re on.

They’ve been with Mint 400 Records (Reese Van Riper, The Furies) since Bellicose, and they fit perfectly within the Jersey mainstay’s roster, with their seamless mix of Spoon, Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse, and The New P0rnographers. Brian Erickson (vocals and guitar), Lisa LoVell (keys and vocals), Becca Cristino (guitar/ vocals), Will Blakey (bass), and Pete Stern (drums) all seem to know just when to carry the day, and when to relax a little and let someone else drive, whether on the fuzzy stomp of “Scene Famous” or the stadium-ready “Charm Offensive.” And balance fuels everything they do, with deeply personal lyrics that the songwriting allows you to cruise right by, humming all the way, or rewind and get a little heart with your hook.