Car Seat Headrest is the project of Seattle artist Will Toledo. With a vision that is both sweeping in scope and intimately personal, Car Seat Headrest embodies the DIY ethos at its best. The songs are often long and complex, but they are anchored in irresistible melodies and a piercing emotional directness. Dispersed across the globe, Car Seat Headrest has an intensely dedicated fanbase of several thousand internet denizens who deeply connect with Will's startlingly honest and unfiltered approach to writing and performing.
Car Seat Headrest began in 2010 in Will's hometown of Leesburg, Virginia. Needing a place of solitude (and soundproofing) where he could record his often frantic vocals undisturbed, a 17-year-old Will set up shop in the family car (hence the name). From this humble origin, he has since built up an 11-albumcatalogue of staggering depth, gaining a devoted following through Bandcamp, where he has logged over 25,000 downloads - all without the muscle of a record label, publicist, booking agent, or manager.
While many of the songs are in the 5-7 minute range, the shorter tracks are equally compelling, the briefest being the ([sic]-inducing)"psst, teenagers, take off your clo." One of the earliest-written songs on the album, "psst, teenagers" is a one-minute rush of melody and energy that would make Robert Pollardproud. The track's more reflective counterpart, "Bad Role Models, Old Idols Exhumed (psst teenagers, put your clothes back o)," serves as a poignant late-album interlude that climaxes in a jazz funeral fanfare.
