Car Seat Headrest in the news – March 2020

“With their highly-anticipated new album set to arrive in the coming months, Car Seat Headrest have now unveiled the next cut to be lifted from their forthcoming full-length.”

–Chris Bound on Mystic Sons, March 24, 2020

“The chorus of the track is dominated by gorgeous harmonies that we’ve come to expect from Car Seat Headrest, inter spliced with notably off-beat snare underneath a driving rhythm. Oh and there’s some trumpet for good measure!”

–Zanda Wilson on Music Feeds, March 24, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest Will Boost Your Mood With New Song ‘Martin'”

–Nina Corcoran on Consequence of Sound, March 23, 2020

“Martin is a joyful, jangly guitar-driven pop track from their upcoming album, ‘Making A Door Less Open,’ a collaboration between band leader Will Toledo and 1 Trait Danger, an electronic side project made up of Toledo and drummer Andrew Katz.”

–Jon Stickler on Stereoboard, March 23, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest Share Lyric Video for New Song ‘Martin'”

–Christopher Roberts on Under the Radar, March 23, 2020

“[Will Toledo] appears in the lyric video as his alter-ego Trait, washing the dishes — an appropriate activity during these pandemic times.”

–Claire Shaffer in Rolling Stone, March 23, 2020

“Songwriter Will Toledo declares the track one of the favorite songs he’s ever written.”

–Janice Headley on KEXP, March 23, 2020

“Toledo, the bandleader, is the computerised protagonist of the lyric video, washing dishes as his poignant words flash on the screen.”

–Jack Whatley on Far Out Magazine, March 23, 2020

“The song itself is a bouncy pop track that sounds a bit more realized than its predecessor, if not quite to the stadium-reaching peak of his recent pair of Teens LPs.”

–Mike LeSuer on FLOOD Magazine, March 23, 2020

“Bursting out of its seat with a startling assault of acoustic guitar, the track maintains 100 metre sprint pace before mellowing out in the final third, adding vibrant brass instrumentations that float along like butterfly wings.”

–Matty Pywell on Gigwise, March 23, 2020

“Accompanied by a lyric video that sees leader Will Toledo taking on the character ‘Trait,’ the uplifting pop song is described by Will as ‘one of the favorite songs that he’s ever written.'”

DIY, March 23, 2020

“The song is skittering and grounded by acoustic guitar and Toledo’s distinctive swallowed-up vocals.”

–James Rettig on Stereogum, March 23, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest have shared a new track from their forthcoming album Making a Door Less Open.”

–Matthew Strauss on Pitchfork, March 23, 2020

“For us — and other CSH fans, I’m sure — 1 Trait serves as an immediate mood picker-upper. “

–Angel Pleasant & Dominiki Kurz in The Wellesley News, March 5, 2020

Car Seat Headrest in the news – Feb. 2020

“Check out the sparse, yet energizing music video for Car Seat Headrest’s single “Cool Me Down,” then check out the details of Making A Door Less Open and the single artwork for “Can’t Cool Me Down,” along with the band’s tour dates.”

–Natalia Keogan on Paste, Feb. 26, 2020

“…as Trait/Toledo yowls about a heat that won’t be extinguished, his intense devotion to craft burns bright enough for anyone to see.”

–Marc Hogan on Pitchfork, Feb. 26, 2020

“Arising from Toledo’s attempts to change up how he was writing, Making A Door Less Open was heavily influenced by electronic experiments with CSH drummer Andrew Katz under the name 1 TRAIT DANGER.”

–Ryan Leas on Stereogum, Feb. 26, 2020

“Clocking in at five minutes, ‘Can’t Cool Me Down’ features shimmering synths and frontman Will Toledo’s falsetto.”

–Angie Martoccio in Rolling Stone, Feb. 26, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest Announces ‘Making A Door Less Open’ With A Mold-Breaking Single”

–Derrick Rossignol on Uproxx, Feb. 26, 2020

“Despite the electronic vibe, you still hear the rasp in lead singer Will Toledo’s voice that grounds it back to the band’s roots.”

–Emily Tan on Spin, Feb. 26, 2020

“The band recorded the new album twice: once live with guitars, drums and bass, and once in a MIDI environment using purely synthesised sounds.”

–Sam Moore on NME, Feb. 26, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest (aka Will Toledo and band) have announced a new album, Making a Door Less Open, and shared its first single, ‘Cool Me Down.'”

–Christopher Roberts on Under the Radar, Feb. 26, 2020

“‘Can’t Cool Me Down’ is a genre-blending departure from Car Seat Headrest’s usual lo-fi indie rock sound. Frontman Will Toledo retains his signature matter-of-fate lyricism as he sings about performance anxiety, but this time he’s accompanied by new synthetic sounds.”

–Ingrid Angulo on Hot Press, Feb. 26, 2020

Making a Door Less Open marks the project’s first LP of new music since 2016’s Teens of Denial, and it’s also the introduction of a new persona for frontman Will Toledo.”

–Janice Headley on KEXP, Feb. 26, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest Announce New LP “Making a Door Less Open,” Share First Single”

Flood Magazine, Feb. 26, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest announce new album, touring w/ Twin Peaks (listen to ‘Can’t Cool Me Down’)”

Brooklyn Vegan, Feb. 26, 2020

“It’s somewhat humbling to walk into a falling-apart Subway and see two of your favorite musicians sitting at a table eating a pre-gig meal…”

–Joseph Patella on WVAU (American University), Feb. 18, 2020

In Loudoun, families flock to walkability and amenities of Great Falls Chase

Great Falls Chase is a place that might appeal to Goldilocks — not too big and not too small.

A compact community in the eastern corner of Loudoun County, Great Falls Chase is large enough to support such amenities as a swimming pool, tennis courts and a shopping center, but small enough that everything is within easy walking distance and neighbors recognize one another.

Full story

The Washington Post, Feb. 19, 2020

At the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, conjuring a memorable family vacation

“The first minutes of 2020 were unlike any other New Year’s celebration I had experienced — standing in the chilly Florida night beside my family and watching a spectacular fireworks display over the lake at Universal Orlando Resort, my right hand clutching a 17½-inch magic wand.

The magic started a year ago, after my son Will remarked that his favorite New Year’s had been a decade earlier, at Disney World with his high school marching band. When my wife, Juli, said she had long wanted to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Will suggested that the entire family gather the following New Year’s.”

Read full story…

The Washington Post, February 7, 2020

In the swim, on the field and at the lake in Loudoun’s Ashburn Village

“Sports and recreation are the heartbeat of Ashburn Village, a 5,500-unit planned community in eastern Loudoun County, Va., about 30 miles from Washington.

With 16 miles of trails, three community centers with outdoor pools, eight playgrounds and a multitude of courts and fields for tennis, basketball, baseball and soccer, Ashburn Village is built for outdoor activity.”

Read more…

The Washington Post, Jan. 30, 2020

Near Leesburg’s downtown, an older neighborhood with a live-and-let-live spirit

Virginia Davies knew she and her husband, George, would have to compromise when they were house-hunting in 2014. She liked country living, and George preferred the city.

They settled on a house in Leesburg Country Club, a residential community with tall trees, wide streets and cul de sacs on the south side of Leesburg, Va.

Read more

The Washington Post, Dec. 4, 2019

In Lake Ridge, Va., a planned community comes into its leafy glory

When developer Ken Thompson conceived the Lake Ridge community in the 1960s, he envisioned a place where suburban homes would coexist with nature, where active individuals and families would enjoy spending time outdoors.

Read full story

The Washington Post, November 14, 2019

Car Seat Headrest in the news – Nov. 2019

A Conversation with Will Toledo and An Appreciation for Car Seat Headrest

–Katie Ingegneri on medium.com, November 22, 2019

“Making such a poignant point out of such disparate concepts — all tucked into such a rollicking track — takes some fascinating genius.”

–Ben Kaye on Consequence of Sound, “Top 25 Rock Songs of the 2010s,” Nov. 12, 2019

“Few indie rock bands of this type have ever sounded this good wherever they go.”

–Steven Edelstone in Paste Magazine’s “20 Best Live Acts of the 2010s,” November 12, 2019

… “[Commit Yourself Completely’s] quality could just come down to the fact that CSH are a wonderful live band that are exceptional at what they do.”

liamthemusicreviewer, Nov. 11, 2019