“Will Toledo Takes Car Seat Headrest In A New Direction”
–Stephan Kallao on NPR’s World Cafe, Sept. 8, 2020
Category: Car Seat Headrest
Car Seat Headrest in the news – Aug. 2020
“Making a Door Less Open is a record made up of strange new realms of thought and travel along a concept of disembarking, traveling, and returning home.”
–Kieran Cleary on RVA, Aug. 5, 2020
Car Seat Headrest in the news – June 2020
“Frontman and songwriter for the indie rock giants Car Seat Headrest, Will Toledo is an avid user of Fender Telecasters.”
—ultimate-guitar.com, June 22, 2020
“The sum total of their efforts is a thrilling left turn from a deeply consistent yet wildly unpredictable band.”
–Chris DeVille on Stereogum, “The 50 Best Albums of 2020 So Far,” June 10, 2020
“Singer-songwriter Will Toledo discusses new album ‘Making A Door Less Open'”
–Kyle Meredith on Consequence of Sound, June 5, 2020
Car Seat Headrest in the news – May 2020
“Making A Door Less Open is unpredictable, ambitious, and unapologetic—and that’s a good thing.”
–Darren DeVivo on WFUV (New York), May 25, 2020
“Car Seat Headrest’s new album, ‘Making a Door Less Open,’ debuted to the biggest sales of the band’s career when it was released earlier this month.”
–Allison Stewart in The Washington Post, May 14, 2020
“Album of the Week: Car Seat Headrest, ‘Making A Door Less Open'”
–Mac Wilson on the current, May 11, 2020
“Nine Songs: Car Seat Headrest”
–Alex Wisgard on The Line of Best Fit, May 8, 2020
“Making A Door Less Open is an album of reflection and one that looks at the choices and desires we encounter over our lives.”
–Matty Pywell on Gigwise, May 7, 2020
“The Restless, Stressed-Out Genius of Car Seat Headrest”
–Simon Vosick-Levinson in Rolling Stone, May 6, 2020
“It seems that going forward each project will not always be for everyone, but it will always be brave, and always be worth a listen.”
–Alex Crowley on Underscore Part 3, May 2, 2020
“Making a Door Less Open is his breakout moment.”
–Will Hodgkinson in The Times, May 1, 2020
“Car Seat Headrest have delivered a collection of songs on ‘Making A Door Less Open’ that show that you can leap a chasm in one jump as long as you are brave enough to imagine it.”
–Mark Gannon on Backseat Mafia, May 1, 2020
“It is somehow a perfect mix of all the things you might love from past Car Seat Headrest albums and some wild new stuff that they are doing for the first time.”
–Steven on 107.7 the end, May 1, 2020
“The Story Behind Every Song On Car Seat Headrest’s New Album Making A Door Less Open”
–Michael Tedder on Stereogum, May 1, 2020
“A weird and wonderful new offering…”
–Elly Watson on DIY, May 1, 2020
“It’s another Toledo-driven performance that is accurately conceived, perfectly delivered and flecked with enough nooks and crannies for their fans to get lost in.”
–Jack Whatley on Far Out, May 1, 2020
“…on the band’s latest album, Making a Door Less Open, frontman Will Toledo turns his trademark sound upside down by building sometimes spare earworms with synths, drum machines and samples.”
–Robin Hilton on NPR’s All Songs Considered, May 1, 2020
“Toledo has realised that he can take the band’s sound anywhere he can imagine – and that’s exactly what he’s done on Making A Door Less Open.”
–Rob Hakimian on Beats Per Minute, May 1, 2020
“Lo-fi indie heroes take an ambitious left turn on twelfth album.”
–Lucy O’Toole on Hot Press, May 1, 2020
“Making a Door Less Open, at its best recalls Talking Heads.”
–Steven Ovadia on Northern Transmissions, May 1, 2020
“Lyrically, it’s more of the sharp wit and cynicism that’s come to characterise his songwriting – exhaustion quickly reveals itself as the record’s thematic anchor – but its overall sound is somewhat beguiling, with Toledo welcoming in a whole new range of textures and electronics from outside of the usual Car Seat Headrest sphere.”
–Niall Flynn on Huck, May 1, 2020
“Die-hard fans will find enough new sounds and ideas to keep them occupied, while casual listeners will be relieved to learn that, despite everything, this is still a Car Seat Headrest record, which is usually good news.”
–Nils Heutehaus on Nothing But Hope and Passion, May 1, 2020
“The new album runs rife with experimentation.”
–James Crowley in Newsweek, May 1, 2020
“…the simple yet effective melodies that buoyed Car Seat Headrest‘s earlier work are still recognizable, and the sincere, foggy tone of Toledo‘s voice adds a humanity that makes his uncertainty cut even deeper.”
–Mark Deming on AllMusic, May 1, 2020
“It’s a statement on the way people consume music today, the individual energy of songs wrapped in the illusion of an album.”
–Marianne Gallagher on Clash, May 1, 2020
Car Seat Headrest in the news – April 2020
“…most of Car Seat Headrest’s warm, intelligent, eclectic record has me giddy.”
–Stefan Milne on SeattleMet, April 30, 2020
“Far from experiencing growing pains, Car Seat seem to have had a lot of fun here.”
–Rhys Buchanan on NME, April 30, 2020
“…it takes the standard building blocks of mainstream pop and rearranges them into something idiosyncratic.”
–Alexis Petridis in The Guardian, April 30, 2020
“Toledo has created the kind of record that is the pinnacle of his work so far – masterfully teasing together the elements of Billboard-troubling rock, spacious, slow-burning dynamics, soul-searching intimacy, and, more than anything, songs that embrace his new found fame without compromising his artistry.”
–Chris Hatch on Secret Meeting, April 29, 2020
“‘Making A Door Less Open’ is Car Seat Headrest’s most ambitious project yet; and, most importantly, it lives up to that ambition, every angle of the album feeling exciting and vital.”
–Mia Hughes on Clash Music, April 29, 2020
“Between the cryptic Trait get-up, the heavy presence of electronic instrumentation, and Toledo’s lyrical shift from gut-spilling rambles to concise dispatches from various settings and perspectives, Making A Door Less Open feels like a very different Car Seat Headrest.”
–Eli Enis in Entertainment Weekly, April 29, 2020
“Making a Door Less Open ultimately sounds like an entertaining experiment, a test of Car Seat Headrest’s malleability and potential for new directions.”
–Kaelen Bell on Exclaim!, April 29, 2020
“The fresh aggravated sounds are a gift – gritty and vehemently true.”
–Evamoss on About That Record, April 29, 2020
“…a stepping stone into a better and more realized Car Seat Headrest.”
–Kyle J. Kohner in Riff Magazine, April 29, 2020
“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
“The new album is a masterclass in mixing influences seamlessly.”
–Isabel Crabtree on Loud and Quiet, April 27, 2020
“What’s new here, apart from the rippling synth lines and programmed beats, is the sense of fresh-start possibility and hard-won optimism that infuses nearly every track.”
–Alex Pappademas in the New York Times, April 23, 2020
“Car Seat Headrest’s ‘Making a Door Less Open’ Is an Indie Pop Triumph”
–Jonathan Leal on PopMatters, April 23, 2020
“Spoiler alert: The whole album is good!”
–Chris DeVille on Stereogum, April 23, 2020
“Car Seat Headrest have shared ‘There Must Be More Than Blood,’ the latest song from their forthcoming album Making a Door Less Open.”
–Noah Yoo on Pitchfork, April 23, 2020
“A slow-burning sizzler that sees Car Seat mastermind Will Toledo imploring ‘There must be more than blood / That holds us together,’ it’s a heartstring pulling look into the upcoming twelfth studio album that Will promises will be ‘full of songs that [have] a special energy, each one unique and different in its vision.'”
“Car Seat Headrest Shares ‘There Must Be More Than Blood’ Single”
–Nate Todd on JamBase, April 23, 2020
“Now, the group has debuted their upcoming record’s stunning, seven-minute centerpiece, ‘There Must Be More Than Blood’ with an acoustic video.”
–Carolyn Droke on Uproxx, April 23, 2020
“The new song is called ‘There Must Be More Than Blood,’ and it’s accompanied by an acoustic music video featuring a performance by Toledo as his newly debuted alter-ego, Trait.”
–Natalie Keogan on Paste, April 23, 2020
“In its mesmeric slow burn, album centerpiece ‘There Must Be More Than Blood’ presents another facet of the broad palette found on MADLO, with Toledo placing emphasis on the individual songs, each with its own ‘special energy.'”
—Broadway World, April 23, 2020
“Car Seat Headrest Share New Song ‘There Must Be More Than Blood’ and Acoustic Video for the Song”
–Christopher Roberts on Under the Radar, April 23, 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.’”
“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.”
“‘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
Car Seat Headrest in the news – April 2020
“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.’”
“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.”
“‘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
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.'”
“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
Car Seat Headrest in the news – Jan. 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
Car Seat Headrest in the news – Dec. 2019
“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