"Before the gig, we were quite intimidated: a lowly rock band performing in front of a god. After, we found we could do it, and that was the turning point for us."

Going back to at least when Paul the Apostle saw the light on the road to Damascus, encounters with the divine have helped people find themselves, but for bassist/vocalist Yohei Toriyama and his thoroughly nonreligious bandmates in minimalist postpunk/alternative trio Extruders, this particular moment of revelation was more the result of a long personal journey and a lot of hard work.

Formed in 2003 as a quintet, before slimming down to a trio two years later, Extruders released a short, sharp, and beautifully understated debut mini-album titled "Neuter" in 2007 and full-length "Hustle & Bustle" the following year, before stopping to reassess their artistic ambitions.