Beginning as a solo recording project by Toledo in 2010, Car Seat Headrest self-released 12 albums on the music platform Bandcamp, before signing to Matador Records in 2015. Car Seat Headrest would begin touring as a full band the following year.
History
2010–2014: Lo-fi and solo releases, from 1 to How to Leave Town
Car Seat Headrest began as the solo project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Will Toledo (born William Barnes) shortly after he graduated high school. Toledo had previously released music under the alias Nervous Young Men, but after struggling to establish an audience, he decided to change tactics, choosing to try and release more experimental songs anonymously. Toledo chose the name "Car Seat Headrest" as he would often record the vocals to his early albums in the back seat of his car for privacy.
Throughout the summer of 2010, Toledo released his first four albums under the Car Seat Headrest name: 1, 2, 3, and 4. 1 and 2 incorporated less traditional song structures, with stream-of-consciousness lyrics, whereas 3 and 4 would begin to cement his lo-fi indie rock style. Following the numbered albums, Toledo began attending classes at Virginia Commonwealth University, releasing the Sunburned Shirts EP during his first semester. The Sunburned Shirts EP would later be partially combined with his fifth LP, 5, to create his first titled album, My Back Is Killing Me Baby, released in March 2011. Songs culled from 5 would later appear on the b-sides compilation album Little Pieces of Paper with "No" Written on Them.
After a difficult and lonely semester at VCU, Toledo transferred to the College of William & Mary, where he would release his next project, Twin Fantasy, a concept album centered on a relationship he was in at the time. Twin Fantasy would later be followed up by 2012's Monomania and Starving While Living EP.
Around this time, Toledo began performing live shows with fellow students Katie Wood, Austin Ruhf, and Christian Northover, recording and releasing a short live album in July 2013 entitled Live at WCWM: Car Seat Headrest at the university's studio. Toledo would release his next project the following month; a two-hour long double album entitled Nervous Young Man. Three of the songs, and the title of the album, were taken from his original project, Nervous Young Men, but had been heavily reworked and re-recorded. Released alongside Nervous Young Man, for those who paid $5 or more, was the outtakes compilation album Disjecta Membra.
Toledo's final solo release was 2014's How to Leave Town, an hour long EP with heavy electronic instrumentation and more ambitious song structures.
2015–2017: Matador Records, Teens of Style and Teens of Denial
Ethan Ives.
In September 2015, Car Seat Headrest announced on Facebook that he had signed an album deal with Matador Records. Toledo, who had recently graduated and moved to Seattle, recruited bassist Jacob Bloom and drummer Andrew Katz through Craigslist to record and tour his next album. In October 2015, Car Seat Headrest released the compilation album Teens of Style, their first to not be self-released exclusively via Bandcamp. Shortly after the album's release, Bloom left the group to attend medical school, and was replaced by bassist Ethan Ives.
Ives played bass throughout most of the recordings for the band's following release, but would later switch to guitar and other instruments, with Seth Dalby taking over on bass. Ives and Dalby were later cemented in these positions during live shows and future releases. The new album, created with traditional studio processes, Teens of Denial, was released on May 20, 2016. The album received universal acclaim, and brought the band a new wave of popularity.
In 2017, Car Seat Headrest released an alternate mix of their single, "War Is Coming (If You Want It)" through Bandcamp for one day, with profits going to the Transgender Law Center. The original mix of the track was released ten days later.
On December 13, 2017, the band released a re-recorded version of "Beach Life-In-Death", the second track on Twin Fantasy, through Spotify without prior announcement. This sparked fan rumors that the album would be re-recorded and released the following year. On December 27, 2017, an Amazon listing detailing a re-recorded version of Twin Fantasy was found by fans, and subsequently uploaded to the Car Seat Headrest subreddit. This was followed up by a listing on SRCVinyl.com with the date February 16, 2018.
2018–2019: Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) and Commit Yourself Completely
On January 9, 2018, Matador Records formally announced the release of the re-recording, entitled Twin Fantasy (Face to Face), alongside a re-release of the original album. Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) was released via Matador on February 16. The original, which has been re-titled Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror), was released on vinyl as a part of Record Store Day on April 21. On February 15, 2018, the band released a cover of "Fallen Horses" by Smash Mouth, who returned the favor by covering "Something Soon". Around the same time, they began touring with fellow Seattle-based band, Naked Giants, as a part of the group's expanded live lineup.
In August 2018, when asked about new material, Toledo confirmed that he was “demoing out stuff in Ableton,” adding “there might be some stuff that surprises people who only know us as a rock band, but I don’t think it will come as a surprise to people who are checking out all the deep cuts.” In January 2019, Andrew Katz confirmed the band was recording new music through a video uploaded on Instagram.
Following the tease of new music, the band began experimenting with new material at various live shows in December 2018, debuting the tracks "Weightlifters", "Hollywood", "Stop Lying To Me", and "You Know There's Someone Out There", soon followed by "Can't Cool Me Down" in February and March 2019 performances. All were officially released on the next album except for "Stop Lying To Me" and "You Know There's Someone Out There".
On June 12, 2019, Car Seat Headrest announced a new live album titled Commit Yourself Completely, featuring official recordings of performances from the Twin Fantasy tour from 2018. It was released the following week on June 17.
2020–present: Making a Door Less Open
On February 26, 2020, Car Seat Headrest announced their first studio album consisting of wholly new material since 2016's Teens of Denial, Making a Door Less Open. This announcement coincided with the release of "Can't Cool Me Down", the first single and second track off the album, and a release date of May 1, 2020. It marks a stylistic divergence from previous material, Toledo describing the album as containing elements of EDM, hip hop, futurism, doo-wop, soul and rock and roll. Three more singles were released to promote the album between March and April of that year: "Martin", "Hollywood" and "There Must Be More Than Blood". The release also coincided with the introduction of Trait, an alternative persona of Toledo's, featured prominently wearing a modified gas mask with blinking LED lights for eyes. The character had originally been created for the group's "comedic" side project, 1 Trait Danger, featuring Toledo alongside drummer Andrew Katz.
Making a Door Less Open was released with three separate versions across different formats: vinyl, CD and streaming, each with variations in track-list and specific musical elements. The album received a mixed reaction from fans, which pointed out the many divergences from the band's previous works, but received an overall score of 77 on review aggregate site Metacritic. Toledo noted that he and the band were working on a companion album for their latest release, while also looking for ways to improve the Trait mask to incorporate it into live performances.
Style
AllMusic biographer Mark Deming wrote that Car Seat Headrest created "moody and introspective lo-fi pop tunes that are melodic but structurally ambitious at once." Writing for Pitchfork, Jeremy Gordon stated that on Teens of Denial, "Will Toledo reaffirms that he is ahead of the pack as an imaginative singer-songwriter, capable of crafting dynamic indie rock." Ian Cohen of Pitchfork also described Toledo's music as "dense, confounding music that most often captures the giddy thrill of having access to recording equipment, of finally put a sound to the voice in your head."
Car Seat Headrest's influences include Radiohead, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Daniel Johnston, Destroyer, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Leonard Cohen, of Montreal, Modest Mouse, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sufjan Stevens, Swans, They Might Be Giants, Why?, R.E.M., the Who, Nirvana, the Blackout, Neil Diamond, William Onyeabor, the Clash, the Cars, James Brown, DEVO, Queen, Rod Stewart, and Green Day.
Famous Prophets
Car Seat Headrest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can't help feeling like we're through
The ripping of the tape hurts my ears
In my years, I have never seen anyone quit quite like you do
Twin bruises on my shins
From where I kicked the back of the seat in
They meant what I went through for you
These teenage hands
Will never touch yours again
But I remember you, you had a body
You had hands and arms and legs and et cetera
Did I fail?
Did I fall?
Did I waste my time
Waste my time on a broken heart?
Or is this the start of the great silence?
Is this the start of every day?
I'm not gonna end up a nervous wreck
Like the people I know who are nervous wrecks
Though I'm not gonna name names
Yours was an exception
Did the sound just stop?
At the end of every day
There'll be nothing left to say
There'll be no backstage pass
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
Don't get too impressed
You might lose your breath
Don't predict your death
'Cause I like you the best
Don't you fall apart
You might lose my heart
You know I love your art
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
So descend into cliche
If you've found your holy grail
I could fill back in that grave
I could hammer in that nail
I could give you what you want
I could give you what you deserve
I could sing another song
I could watch that hammer swerve
And when the mirror breaks
I wouldn't miss it for the world
Call it blackstar, call it painstar
The same thing happens when you touch it
Did they tell you, did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Did they tell you? Let me tell you what happens when you touch it
Let me tell you, let me, let me, let me
Let me, let me, let me, let me, let me, let me, let me
Let me, let me, let me
So descend into cliche
If the music has forsaken you
Roll the stone over the grave
I never liked that one anyways
Or stare into the face
Of whatever it is that's facing you
And if the levee breaks
You'll find out what it is that's replacing you
And when the mirror breaks
I wouldn't miss it for the world
Call it blackstar, call it painstar
The same thing happens when you touch it
Did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Did they tell you?
Did they tell me?
What happened to you? Ooh
Love never fails
But where there are prophecies, they will cease where there are tongues
They will be stilled, where there is knowledge, it will pass away
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child
When I abandoned my childhood, I put these ways behind me
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face
Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known
And now these two remain
The song "Famous Prophets" by Car Seat Headrest is a deeply reflective and introspective piece that explores themes of heartbreak, regret, and the passage of time. The song's opening lines, "Apologies to future mes and yous, but I can't help feeling like we're through," establish a sense of resignation and melancholy that pervades the entire track. The singer of the song laments the end of a relationship, questioning whether they wasted their time and effort on someone who ultimately left them behind. The lines "did I fail, did I fall, did I waste my time on a broken heart?" reveal the singer's vulnerability and uncertainty about their life choices.
The chorus of the song features the repeated phrase "we gotta go back," suggesting a desire to undo past mistakes and potentially rekindle the relationship that ended. However, this desire is tempered by a sense that the past cannot be changed, as symbolized by the line "there'll be nothing left to say, there'll be no backstage pass." The song's extended outro section, which features repeated phrases and a spoken-word message about the nature of love and prophecy, adds to the sense of existential questioning and uncertainty that runs throughout the track. Overall, "Famous Prophets" is a poignant and emotionally rich song that captures the complexities of human relationships and the passage of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Apologies to future mes and yous
I'm sorry for what's inevitably going to happen to you and me
But I can't help feeling like we're through
I feel like our relationship is over and I can't ignore it
The ripping of the tape hurts my ears
The sound of us breaking up is physically painful to me
In my years, I have never seen anyone quit quite like you do
You're breaking up with me in a way that I've never seen before, and it hurts more because of that
Twin bruises on my shins
I kicked the back of your seat in frustration, leaving bruises on my legs
From where I kicked the back of the seat in
The bruises on my shins are from when I kicked the back of your seat
They meant what I went through for you
The bruises were a sign of the trouble I went through for our relationship
But now they're fading, now they're gone
The bruises have healed and my memories of our relationship are fading too
These teenage hands
My young, inexperienced hands
Will never touch yours again
We've broken up, so I'll never touch you again
But I remember you, you had a body
I remember you as a physical person, not just an idea
You had hands and arms and legs and et cetera
You were a complete person with all the expected body parts
Did I fail?
Did our relationship fail because of me?
Did I fall?
Did I make a mistake in being with you?
Did I waste my time
Was all my time with you for naught?
Waste my time on a broken heart?
Did I waste my time being with you and end up with a broken heart?
Or is this the start of the great silence?
Maybe this is the beginning of a period of time when nothing important happens
Is this the start of every day?
Is this how my life will be every day from now on?
I'm not gonna end up a nervous wreck
I refuse to become a person who is constantly anxious
Like the people I know who are nervous wrecks
I've seen other people act like nervous wrecks and I don't want to be like them
Though I'm not gonna name names
I won't call out any specific people who behave that way
Yours was an exception
Even if I don't name names, I know that your behavior was an exception to the rule
Did the sound just stop?
Did our relationship just end abruptly?
At the end of every day
When everything is said and done
There'll be nothing left to say
We'll have run out of words and conversation topics
There'll be no backstage pass
There will be no special access to each other's lives or secrets
We gotta go back
We need to return to something from the past
Don't get too impressed
Don't let your ego get too inflated
You might lose your breath
You could get too excited or overwhelmed
Don't predict your death
Don't predict the end of something when it's not actually over yet
'Cause I like you the best
I really like you and the idea of losing you scares me
Don't you fall apart
Don't let yourself unravel mentally or emotionally
You might lose my heart
If you fall apart, I might not be in love with you anymore
You know I love your art
I love the things that make you unique and creative
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean covered the spot where you're buried
The ocean washed open your grave
If you're buried at sea, the ocean could literally dig up your grave
So descend into cliche
Lean into stereotypes or overused ideas
If you've found your holy grail
If you've found something that's meaningful or important to you
I could fill back in that grave
I could restore the status quo if you want to go back to how things were before
I could hammer in that nail
I could reinforce a decision or idea that's already been established
I could give you what you want
I could make you happy by doing or providing something you desire
I could give you what you deserve
I could reward you for your actions, behavior, or accomplishments
I could sing another song
I could create or perform more music that might resonate with you
I could watch that hammer swerve
I could witness or observe something surprising or unexpected
When the mirror breaks
When something that reflects who you are is damaged or destroyed
I wouldn't miss it for the world
I wouldn't want to not be there for such a significant moment in your life
Call it blackstar, call it painstar
You can describe it as something negative, but it's still a momentous occasion
The same thing happens when you touch it
The result of something is consistent no matter how it's approached
Did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Has someone informed you of the consequences for interacting with something?
What happened to you? Ooh
What caused you to change or become different?
Love never fails
Love is reliable and resilient
But where there are prophecies, they will cease where there are tongues
Predictions and language will eventually become unnecessary or irrelevant
They will be stilled, where there is knowledge, it will pass away
Everything will eventually stop or disappear, even things we thought were permanent or important
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears
We only have limited knowledge or abilities, but everything will come together in the end
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child
When I was younger and less experienced, I acted a certain way
When I abandoned my childhood, I put these ways behind me
As I grew older and gained more experience, I left behind childish behavior
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face
Currently, we only understand or see things partially, but eventually we will understand everything clearly
Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known
I don't have complete understanding or knowledge right now, but I will eventually
And now these two remain
Of all the things that could change or disappear, these two have remained the same
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: William Barnes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@234nhchan
Apologies to future mes and yous
But I can't help feeling like we're through
The ripping of the tape hurts my ears
In my years, I have never seen anyone quit quite like you do
Twin bruises on my shins
From where I kicked the back of the seat in
They meant what I went through for you
But now they're fading, now they're gone
(Don't spend too much time on it)
These teenage hands will never touch yours again
But I remember you
You had a body
You had hands and arms and legs and et cetera
Did I fail? Did I fall?
(In the morning when I wake up, are you mine?)
Did I waste my time, waste my time on a broken heart?
(Take the trash out like a bad dream, are you gone?)
Or is this the start of the great silence?
(From the old house, the fiercest heart spoke, are you mine?)
Is this the start of every day?
(Christmas tree's dead, you know how time flies, are you gone?)
I'm not gonna end up a nervous wreck
Like the people I know who are nervous wrecks
Though I'm not gonna name names
(Yours was an exception)
Did the sound just stop?
At the end of every day
There'll be nothing left to say
There'll be no backstage pass
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
(We've gotta go back)
We gotta go back
(We've gotta go back)
We gotta go back
(We've gotta go back)
We gotta go back
(We've gotta go back)
We've gotta go back
We've gotta go back
We've gotta go back
We've gotta go back
Don't get too impressed
You might lose your breath
Don't predict your death
'Cause I like you the best
Don't you fall apart
You might lose my heart
You know I love your art
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
So descend into cliche
If you've found your holy grail
I could fill back in that grave
I could hammer in that nail
I could give you what you want
I could give you what you deserve
I could sing another song
I could watch that hammer swerve
And when the mirror breaks
I wouldn't miss it for the world
Call it Blackstar, call it Painstar
The same thing happens when you touch it
Did they tell you, did they tell you what happens when you touch it? Did they tell you?
Let me tell you what happens when you touch it, let me, let me, let me, let-
Let me
Let me in
So descend into cliché
If the music has forsaken you
Roll the stone over the grave
I never liked that one anyways
Or stare into the face
Of whatever it is that's facing you
And if the levee breaks
You'll find out what it is that's replacing you
And when the mirror breaks
I wouldn't miss it for the world
Call it Blackstar, call it Painstar
The same thing happens when you touch it
Did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Did they tell you...
Did they tell me...
What happened to you?
[Spoken:]
Love-
I gain nothing - I have love, I gain nothing - I have love...
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing - I gain nothing
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast-
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres-
(My
Be
It'll take some time
It'll
It'll
Be
We won't
Be
We won't
Don't see
Don't see
We won't see
We won't see
We won't
Be
Don't
Somewhere down the
Down the
Down the
Down the line
Down the line
Down
Down
It'll take some time
It'll
But somewhere
Down the line
We won't be)
[Spoken:]
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I abandoned my childhood, I put these ways behind me. For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known
And now these two remain
@jason___1697
Apologies to future mes and yous
But I can't help feeling like we're through
The ripping of the tape hurts my ears
In my years, I have never seen anyone quit quite like you do
Twin bruises on my shins
From where I kicked the back of the seat in
They meant what I went through for you
But now they're fading, now they're gone
These teenage hands
Will never touch yours again
But I remember you, you had a body
You had hands and arms and legs and et cetera
Did I fail? Did I fall?
(In the morning when I wake up, are you mine?)
Did I waste my time, waste my time on a broken heart?
(Take the trash out like a bad dream, are you gone?)
Or is this the start of the great silence?
(From the old house, the fiercest heart spoke, are you mine?)
Is this the start of every day?
(Christmas tree's dead, you know how time flies, are you gone?)
I'm not gonna end up a nervous wreck
Like the people I know who are nervous wrecks
Though I'm not gonna name names
(Yours was an exception)
Did the sound just stop?
At the end of every day
There'll be nothing left to say
There'll be no backstage pass
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
We gotta go back
Don't get too impressed
You might lose your breath
Don't predict your death
'Cause I like you the best
Don't you fall apart
You might lose my heart
You know I love your art
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave
The ocean washed over your grave
The ocean washed open your grave...
So descend into cliché
If you've found your holy grail
I could fill back in that grave
I could hammer in that nail
I could give you what you want
I could give you what you deserve
I could sing another song
I could watch that hammer swerve
And when the mirror breaks
I wouldn't miss it for the world
Call it blackstar, call it painstar
The same thing happens when you touch it
Did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Let me tell you what happens when you touch it...
Let me, let me, let
Let me
Let me
So descend into cliché
If the music has forsaken you
Roll the stone over the grave
I never liked that one anyways
Or stare into the face
Of whatever it is that's facing you
And if the levee breaks
You'll find out what it is that's replacing you
And when the mirror breaks
I wouldn't miss it for the world
Call it blackstar
Call it painstar
The same thing happens when you touch it
Did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Did they tell you what happens when you touch it?
Did they tell you
Did they tell me
What happened to you?
(It'll take some time
But somewhere down the line
We won't be)
Love never fails
But where there are prophecies, they will cease
Where there are tongues, they will be stilled
Where there is knowledge, it will pass away
For we know in part and we prophesy in part
But when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child. When I abandoned my childhood
I put these ways behind me.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;
Then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known
And now these two remain
@nnitro
me when im already sobbing uncontrollably but theres still half a song left
@concars1234
just broke down in the car to this xx
@nnitro
@@concars1234 weve all been there 🫡
@georgegibson4596
This album is at its core about how beautiful but horrible codependency is.
@brrreak2
This is so true
@stardewstar
im sorry i really like how you phrased but it's giving me vivid flashbacks to an agonizing essay i had to write about Jane Eyre and how she learned to balance her independent personality with heavily codependent relationships and i Can't
@nhatduongtri3270
@@stardewstar I love Jane Eyre
@kiwi.fruit.twitch.sensation
so true!!!!!
@quickshotfivefourthreefour6758
So true because on the cover art if the tall dude pulls away he wont have a nose or the short deer thing wont have an eye
@conwuzere
Don't mess with us car seat headrest fans
We WILL cry