Category: Music

“Will Toledo has a special talent, creating engaging narratives that provide a unique perspective to the human experience.”

–Matty Pywell on Gigwise, April 28, 2020

“Album Of The Week: Car Seat Headrest Making A Door Less Open“

–James Rettig on Stereogum, April 28, 2020

“As one of the most genuinely interesting faces in indie rock to recently emerge, Car Seat Headrest have been gaining an increasing level of traction due to their assertive lo-fi sounds and frontman Will Toledo’s unusually intriguing voice and compelling lyrics. “

–Cameron Wright on Narc. Magazine, April 28, 2020

“Make up your own phrase for this new sound, or let it stay unspoken and ambiguous; either way, don’t go into it expecting anything at all, because this album will surprise you with every new hook and riff.”

–Frankie Hendricks on Alt Revue, April 28, 2020

“It’s some of the most infectiously multifarious material Car Seat Headrest have ever released.”

–Gary Walker in Guitar Magazine, April 21, 2020

“Seamless melds of indie guitars and electronic pop, stuffed with spry choruses and poetic self-castigation… MADLO’s higher-fi moves demand wider attention.”

–June edition of MOJO Magazine, April 21, 2020

“Will Toledo rails against Hollywood in latest song from ‘Making a Door Less Open'”

–Alex Gallagher on NME, April 17, 2020

“The warped, jerky synth-rock of Hollywood will take its place on Will Toledo’s new record ‘Making A Door Less Open’, which is out on May 1 through Matador, promising a left turn in to experimental terrain.”

–Huw Baines on Stereoboard, April 17, 2020

“Blessing us today, Car Seat Headrest have unleashed the latest taste of their upcoming new album ‘Making A Door Less Open,’ sharing new track ‘Hollywood.’”

—DIY, April 16, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest have shared the latest song from the new album Making a Door Less Open.”

–Evan Minsker on Pitchfork, April 16, 2020

“[Will Toledo] has further teased the record with a song called ‘Hollywood,’ which isn’t exactly laudatory about its namesake place.

–Derrick Rossignol on Uproxxx, April 16, 2020

“It’s a no-nonsense tune that features familiar heavy riffs, a big hook and heavy grooves.”

—Spin, April 16, 2020

“‘Hollywood makes me want to puke’ is thrown at you with the velocity of a home run.”

–Matty Pywell on Gigwise, April 16, 2020

“CSH tapped Sabrina Nichols to helm the video for ‘Hollywood.’ The visual features an animated Trait, Toledo’s masked alter ego.”

–Nate Todd on JamBase, April 16, 2020

“The music video follows frontman Will Toledo’s alter ego in animated form, Trait, who is heavily featured on the album.”

–Natalia Keogan on Paste, April 16, 2020

“Car Seat Headrest isn’t holding back on their new song ‘Hollywood,’ which arrived today with a video directed by Sabrina Nichols.”

–Dustin Heidt in Variance Magazine, April 16, 2020

“[Will Toledo] channels a similar spirit of revision with his latest record, Making a Door Less Open, which has two takes: one recorded as a traditional rock band, and another built around synthesizers and sequenced sounds (as heard on lead single Can’t Cool Me Down).”

—Pitchfork’s “25 Most Anticipated Albums of Spring 2020,” April 1, 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

“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

“Jack Quaid: ‘Seeing Car Seat Headrest with Daniel Craig was one of the best nights of my life'”

–Alex Flood on NME, Jan. 30, 2020

Car Seat Headrest satirical side project 1 Trait Danger touring in February

–Bill Pearis on Brooklyn Vegan, Jan. 13, 2020

“What makes Teens of Denial such a kick is that there’s as much empathy as apathy in Toledo’s songs…”

–Jon Dolan, in Rolling Stone’s “100 Best Albums of the 2010s,” re: “Teens of Denial,” which ranked #29

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

“The beautiful thing about this record is how it doesn’t demand our loyalty, only that we admit we feel the same way.”

–Jeremy Gordon re: Teens of Denial in Pitchfork’s “200 Best Albums of the 2010s,” Oct. 8, 2019

“Indie prince Will Toledo leads a performance that combines the scale, sensitivity, and sense of theatre that have propelled his project beyond their indie niche into the mainstream. “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” is the evening’s anthem, with a singalong that continues well into the next day.”

—Drunkenwerewolf review of 2019 Green Man Festival in Wales, Sept. 16, 2019

“The short film follows the creative arc of completing a new song…The track in question is the brilliant ‘Stop Lying to Me’ which has a whole heap of power to it. “

–Jack Whatley in Far Out Magazine, July 9, 2019

“…Toledo is returning to his more collaborative roots; today…TIDAL is premiering the third and final episode of Car Seat Headrest’s documentary, I Haven’t Done Shit This Year — and it features an in-progress song titled ‘Stop Lying to Me,’ likely slated for the band’s next album.”

–Brenna Ehrlich on tidal.com, July 8, 2019

“Car Seat Headrest have shared the final installment of ‘I Haven’t Done Shit This Year,’ their behind-the-scenes documentary made in partnership with Tidal.

–Sam Sodomsky on Pitchfork, July 8, 2019

“Seattle-via-Virginia indie outfit Car Seat Headrest seemed prime for some afternoon sunburn (they surely had the SPF30 in full effect) and rocked their way through jammers like ‘Bodys’ from last year’s new / old Twin Fantasy and an excellent ‘Fill In The Blank’ from their 2016 album Teens of Denial.”

–Maureen Walsh on The Key, June 24, 2019

“Car Seat Headrest have released a striking filmed live version of ‘Fill In The Blank’ on YouTube, the first cut from the band’s newly announced digital live album, Commit Yourself Completely, set for release June 17.”

–Savannah Sicurella in Paste Magazine, June 12, 2019 

“‘Commit Yourself Completely’ is due to arrive on June 17 and will be a digital only release.”

–Laura Johnson on stereoboard.com, June 12, 2019

“This isn’t necessarily the best possible version of each track, but it’s some of the most fun we’ve had on stage.”

–Will Toledo quoted on Pitchfork, June 12, 2019

“I had never collaborated with anyone and I really trusted Will [Toledo], he has a sense for how songs go.”

–Stef Chura quoted by Trish Connelly on  Northern Transmissions, June 7, 2019