“This is an incredibly forward-thinking record that redefines the expectations for Car Seat Headrest on Matador records. I have a sneaking suspicion that this may end up as one of my albums of the year.”
–Matt McCrory on Redbrick, May 31, 2016
“The humour is what elevated it…putting Toledo on the map as a great songwriter who can keep a listener gripped and waiting for his next line.
—The Funnel Blog re: “Teens of Denial,” May 31, 2016
“Toledo is quickly earning the reputation of a leading rock songwriter. ”
–Craig Wright in the (Univ. of Oregon) Daily Emerald, May 31, 2016
“Car Seat Headrest’s Teens of Denial is not just the rock album of the year, but may be the emergence of a new musical genius.”
–Dave Faulkner in The Saturday Paper, May 28, 2016
“Ric Ocasek’s loss is your gain…Guess he didn’t want to be linked to one of the year’s coolest indie-rock outings — assuming you dig absurdly magnificent slacker-grunge that sounds like Pavement jamming with Beck (and sometimes Nirvana).”
–Darryl Sterdan in Toronto Sun, May 27, 2016
“He’s a concise, cutting writer whose wise, economical words and parenthetical thoughts give his crunching guitars, lo-fi synth skronk and laudable melodicism the textual, abstract feel of Michael Stipe meeting playwright Eugene O’Neill.”
–A.D. Amoros on Magnet, May 27, 2016
“Toledo is equally competent in writing savory melodies and uber-palatable instrumental sections as he is at penning incredibly witty narratives.”
–Eli in The Alternative, May 27, 2016
“Car Seat Headrest rocked the Underground Arts May 22. They knocked it out of the park with their ‘first’ real studio album on Matador, ‘Teens of Denial.'”
–Shane O’Connor on The Triangle, May 27, 2016
“Teens Of Denial is American indie rock par excellence and a serious contender for album of the year.”
–Kernan Andrews in Galway Advertiser, May 26, 2016
“It’s the type of thing that only a sample could accomplish, and though it may only be found in landfills…it’s a track that was evocative, engaging, and totally effective. That’s a hard thing to put a price on.”
–David Anthony re: “Just What I Needed / Not Just What I Needed” on A.V. Club, May 26, 2016
“There are many reasons why the music of Car Seat Headrest has connected with so many people but perhaps the main one is Will’s relatable lyricism.”
–Martyn Young in Upset Magazine, May 26, 2016
“…a rare thing, a 21st-century Great Rock Record – the formal studio debut of a self-recording wunderkind whose substantial Soundcloud oeuvre, anthologized on last year’s companion piece, Teens of Style, flagged a talent to be reckoned with.”
–Will Hermes in Rolling Stone, May 25, 2016
“We’d be shocked to see him fade into obscurity. It’s always a good sign when your latest record sounds like your best work, and when your influences reach decades into the past, you’ve got a better shot avoiding fleeting fads.”
–Matthew Ismael Ruiz on Flavorwire, May 25, 2016
“Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest makes lo-fi rock that is brutally honest and touches on mental health and sexuality.”
–Harriet Gibsone in The Guardian, May 25, 2016
“Aside from simply being well-crafted and beautiful, it’s universally introspective and razor sharp. It’s laser-focused in the right places and it’s loose and rough around the edges exactly where it needs to be. If the rock stylings aren’t your taste, the masterful songwriting will be.”
–Spencer Tuckerman on From Loveland, May 25, 2016
“It gave Toledo his first experience of putting tracks together with a full band, and this feeds into every aspect of his monstrously impressive latest ‘Teens Of Denial.’”
–Alex Flood on NME, May 25, 2016
“Car Seat Headrest Sucks at Poker and Actually Likes Kanye’s TLOP Rollout”
–Quinn Moreland on Pitchfork, May 25, 2016
“Here’s what we captured at their show on Monday night at Black Cat with Naked Days.”
—DC Music Download, May 25, 2016
“Be in no doubt, ‘Teens of Denial’ is an engrossing journey into a supremely intriguing musical mind.”
–Tom Hancock in DIY Magazine, May 24, 2016
“…one of the freshest indie rock groups in the world.”
–Marcus J. Moore in The Washington Post, May 24, 2016
“This album is a slow grower, revealing its charm slowly over extended listening, [preferably] augmented with headphones and lights out.”
–Shawn Skager in Northwest Music Scene, May 24, 2016
“There’s a giddy enjoyment to be derived from observing Car Seat Headrest as massive potential begins to be realized.”
–Seán Ryan on State, May 24, 2016
“Car Seat Headrest has generated a ton of media attention with interviews and profile pieces from Billboard, Spin, Vice, Interview Magazine, MTV and even USA Today.”
–James Kim on The Frame, May 24, 2016
“It’s a ride, this. From the off, it’s a blistering and fuzzed-out, punked-up, Seattle-flavoured driving stomp. Gloriously bare boned, stripped back and keen, it’s compelling and urgent in all the right places, with Will Toledo’s melodic rant dragging you through his artistic conundrum. As with all the best anthemic, powered-up pop, best heard loud. Many times.”
—Getintothis, May 24, 2016
“Witty, compelling conflicted-inner-monologue lyrics coupled with killer hooks and skill-flexing arrangements result in what will likely transpire to be the best indie rock album of the year.”
–James Jennings in Rolling Stone, May 23, 2016
“Through changes of pace and intelligent, introspective lyrics, Car Seat Headrest have created a work of raw depth and beauty.”
–Jessica Otterwell in GIGsoup, May 23, 2016
“Toledo and company continue to excite by creating the conversation with their audience: a conversation of desperation, a conversation of loneliness, but also a conversation of hope.”
–Tyler Asay in The Key, May 23, 2016
“[Teens of Denial] follows up the well-received Teens Of Style from last year, and is already one of 2016’s most exciting prospects.”
–Ollie Rankine on The Student Playlist, May 23, 2016
“…the band who’s making you rigorously question and thoughtfully revise your definition of indie rock…”
–Dan Smart on Tiny Mix Tapes, May 23, 2016
“Toledo and the band may not be going to heaven, but they sure as hell brought us there.”
–Tyler Asay’s review of Car Seat Headrest concert at Underground Arts in Philadelphia in The Key, May 23, 2016
“Their infectious energy comes through in everything from their music, their dance moves, and their humor in between songs…”
–Chelsea Pineda on chelseapineda.com, May 23, 2016
“I think it’s just what we needed.”
–Jeff Terich on Treblezine, May 22, 2016
“‘Vincent’ shows he’s still a studio tweaker, a good thing.”
–Jon Pareles in New York Times, May 21, 2016
“If Teens of Denial stands as a sign of the times, things have turned out all right for us fans.”
–Nathan Mattise on Ars Technica, May 21, 2016
“We may be in the presence of the next big indie rock titan that could breathe some needed fresh air into the genre.”
–Jack G. on Sputnik Music, May 21, 2016
“Featuring a whir of buzzy guitars, choirboy harmonies and voluminous, soul-bearing lyrics tossed off with a slack, oft-ironic bent, Car Seat Headrest’s music calls to mind ‘90s indie legends like Guided By Voices and Pavement.”
–Dan Hyman in Playboy, May 20, 2016
“The aesthetic he’s curated — hyper-real lyrics, combined with instrumentals that split the difference between Weezer and Modest Mouse’s ’90s records — stands apart from any work he’s done previously.”
–Eric Renner Brown in Entertainment Weekly, May 20, 2016
“On Car Seat Headrest’s first proper new album for Matador, frontman Will Toledo reaffirms that he is ahead of the pack as an imaginative singer-songwriter, capable of crafting dynamic indie rock.”
–Jeremy Gordon on Pitchfork, May 20, 2016
“If Toledo didn’t want people to get excited about Teens of Denial, then he shouldn’t have made such a dynamic, smart, tuneful album.”
–Michael Tedder on Bandcamp Blog, May 20, 2016
“Will Toledo emerges as an aficionado of independent rock music on Teens of Denial, managing to sound like the heroes of the past while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of the genre.”
–AJ Moser on Fitted Living, May 20, 2016
“Toledo is young…but we can all agree on one thing: he’ll soon be big enough that finding his way to the stage will be hardly a problem at all.”
–Joseph Bloss in The Key, May 20, 2016
“Car Seat Headrest’s excellent Teens of Denial is out now, at least digitally…”
–Alex Wexelman in Brooklyn Vegan, May 20, 2016
“…one for the ages.”
–Graeme Campbell re: “Teens of Denial” on The 405, May 20, 2016
“Will Toledo, the brains and voice behind the operation, has a clear and precise ear for hooky riffs, and interesting sounds.”
–Corbin Reiff on Albums of the Day, May 2016
“Will Toledo’s latest is enigmatic, a little deceptive in places, and thoroughly gripping throughout.”
–Tom Hancock in DIY Magazine, May 19, 2016
“Win! The scrapped discs probably paid for themselves in terms of publicity.”
–Jeffrey Rabhan and Jem Aswad in Billboard, May 19, 2016
“Here’s the beautiful thing, Toledo did what songwriters at the peak of their creative powers do. He wrote another song. In a couple of days. It’s at least as good as the first one. I wonder when was the last time Ric Ocasek could do that?”
–Jennifer Kelly in Dusted Magazine, May 19, 2016
“We think this one will be one of 2016’s standout releases for its spontaneous narrative style, DIY attitude and innovative approach.”
—the music (Australia), May 19, 2016
“This record is a win for rock in my book and I can only predict that this is a true beginning for Car Seat Headrest’s next stage that hopefully will produce more exciting music in years to come. You should get onboard now!”
–Christopher Anthony on The Fire Note, May 19, 2016
“This terrifically catchy, unfailingly intelligent album of new songs…”
–Dan DeLuca on Philly.com, May 18, 2016
“Guitar rock rules the album’s exceptional opening half, hitting its apex with the ingenious, duelling hooks of ‘Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales.'”
–Matt Bobkin in Exclaim! May 18, 2016
“Toledo and company have fully arrived, anointed, it seems, as the inheritors of a considerable array of rock’n’roll mythologies.”
–K. Ross Hoffman in The Key, May 18, 2016
“Teens Of Denial…is everything great about indie rock collected into one album.”
–Tom Breihan on Stereogum, May 17, 2016
“[The songs] often feel as though they’re coming through deliberately cracked speakers, with Toledo’s weary, sing/speak vocals buzzing through brilliantly cobbled-together garage rock melodies.”
–Mike Hilleary in Flood, May 16, 2016
“…a killer rock album…”
–Juan Edgardo Rodriguez on No Ripcord, May 16, 2016
“The result is a smart, sharp and incredibly dynamic set of songs; a fiery bout of rock and roll that should very well soundtrack each and every road trip the summer sends your way.”
–Tom Johnson on Goldflakepaint, May 2016
“On this week’s Alt In Our Stars, Toledo took us into the mindset of a musician making the big jump.”
–Chris Payne in Billboard, May 13, 2016
“Toledo is maintaining a positive outlook on the situation…”
–Scott Russell in Paste Magazine, May 13, 2016
“Teens of Denial delayed as Will Toledo re-records ‘Just What I Wanted/Not Just What I Needed'”
–Jeremy Gordon on Pitchfork, May 12, 2016
“Will Toledo’s upcoming Teens of Denial is going to make some serious waves. The dude is a prolific genius and he’s only 23.”
–Colin St. John in “11 Bands Who Might Be the Next Radiohead” on inverse.com, May 12, 2016
“Car Seat Headrest Is Gloriously Morose In ‘Teens of Denial'”
–Ken Tucker on NPR, May 11, 2016
“Toledo speaks for and to the disaffected ones shuffling along between adolescence and adulthood, kicking about the neighborhood to avoid home life and hiding out in their basements and garages when they can’t.”
–Charles Steinberg on Under the Radar, May 6, 2016
“Out of all of the acts at that three-day cluster-fuck of college radio showcases, Car Seat Headrest played with the most energy, the most eagerness and the least sense of entitlement.”
–Justin Joffe in Observer, May 6, 2016
“Strap yourself in. This could be the album of the year.”
–Kim Gillespie in Bay of Plenty Times (New Zealand), May 5, 2016
