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.
Jerks
Car Seat Headrest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't think I don't know what you're asking for
You think that I'm in love, punk
You've been a punk since the day you were born
I've never been good with weapons
But you want me to teach you with my bare hands
I really liked your solo album, but, punk,
Cause you're in love with jerks
And I'm not confident
I get concerned when accidents are happening
Hate is raining down like piss
Piercing my ears, yeah you're out for blood, punk
Don't think I want to listen to this
Careful with the love police!
Maybe sunglasses to cover the bruises
Maybe a hole in a bathroom stall
Maybe somebody that you're thinking of, punk
Ain't thinking about you at all
Cause you're in love with jerks
And I'm not confident
I wanna be your jerk
Cause you in love with jerks
Revival of the jerks
You waste your life on jerks
The song "Jerks" by Car Seat Headrest is a lyrically complex and metaphorical take on the entanglement of emotions, love, and violence. The song revolves around two people who are romantically intertwined with each other, but there is a conflict between them, caused by one of them being attracted to jerks, and the other not being confident about their relationship. The lyrics start with asking a question - "Do you want an accident to happen?" - which is a metaphor for wanting to see things falling apart, indicating that the relationship is heading towards a dark phase.
The character singing the song seems to know what the other person is asking for and seems to be frustrated with it. The line "You think that I'm in love, punk / You've been a punk since the day you were born" signifies a sense of betrayal and loss of trust due to the other person's attraction towards jerks. The chorus, "Cause you're in love with jerks / And I'm not confident," summarises the main conflict of the song.
The song then goes on to depict the dark side of love, where "hate is raining down like piss" and the character worries about accidents happening. The character singing the song seems to be uncomfortable with the other person's obsession with jerks and doesn't "want to listen to this". In the end, the character seems to suggest a revival of the jerks, which can be interpreted as wanting the other person to move on from their attraction towards jerks and find love elsewhere.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you want an accident to happen?
Are you intentionally trying to cause a dangerous situation?
Don't think I don't know what you're asking for
I am aware of the situation you are creating, even if you think I am not.
You think that I'm in love, punk
You believe that I have feelings for someone, but in a disrespectful or mocking way.
You've been a punk since the day you were born
You have always been rude, disrespectful, or rebellious.
I've never been good with weapons
I have no experience with fighting or violent means of defense.
But you want me to teach you with my bare hands
You are asking me to physically attack or harm someone without any weapons.
I really liked your solo album, but, punk,
I may have enjoyed your music in the past, but your disrespectful behavior makes me dislike you.
Don't think I want to be in your band
I am not interested in associating with you or being a part of whatever group you are in.
Cause you're in love with jerks
You have a pattern of being attracted to disrespectful or abusive people.
And I'm not confident
I am not sure of myself or my ability to handle a situation involving violent or disrespectful behavior.
I get concerned when accidents are happening
I become worried when there is a risk of danger or harm occurring.
Hate is raining down like piss
You are constantly expressing negative, rude, or disrespectful emotions towards others.
Piercing my ears, yeah you're out for blood, punk
Your words and actions are intentionally hurtful or aggressive, and you are looking for a fight.
Don't think I want to listen to this
I do not want to be subjected to your rude or disrespectful behavior.
Careful with the love police!
Be cautious of trying to control or limit the romantic choices of others.
Maybe sunglasses to cover the bruises
You may need to hide physical evidence of abuse or injury with clothing or accessories.
Maybe a hole in a bathroom stall
You may need to resort to hiding or escaping in order to avoid being subjected to abusive or dangerous behavior.
Maybe somebody that you're thinking of, punk
There may be someone you are attracted to or interested in, but you are uncertain if they reciprocate your feelings or if it is safe to pursue a relationship with them.
Ain't thinking about you at all
The person you are interested in may not feel the same way about you, or they may not even be aware of your existence.
I wanna be your jerk
I may be willing to act like a disrespectful person in order to gain your approval or attention.
Revival of the jerks
There is a resurgence or continuation in a trend of being attracted to or approving of rude or abusive behavior.
You waste your life on jerks
Your habit or pattern of being attracted to disrespectful or abusive people is preventing you from living a fulfilling or positive life.
Contributed by Kaylee G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
adrian montecello
on sun hot
Sun, get me hot
Sun, get me hot
Sun, get me hot (Sun, get me high)
Sun, get me hot (Sun, get me hot)
Sun, get me hot (Sun, get me high)
Sun, get me hot (Sun, get me hot)
Sun, get me hot
Sun going down
Ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Sun hot, sun
Sun hot, sun
Sun hot, sun
Sun hot, sun
adrian montecello
on beach weak
Did you want to see me?
You didn't want to see me
Did you, old friend, I can you hear you stealing
Loving in the locker room
It's a careless mistake
How many people can fit into a room?
When you stop drinking everything
Just starts to not invite me to your party
Lock the door on me
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
Did you ask me anything?
I didn't ask you anything
Think I understand just what's pretending to
Not ignore me
Sitting at your amber dresser
Letter with an extra letter in my name
And we've known each other for far too long
To be losing punctuation on this alcohol
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
(See you there, see you there, see you there, Will)
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
(See you there, see you there, Will)
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
Did you want to see me?
You didn't want to see me
Did you, old friend, old friend, I can
Hardly remember all the times we slaved
Over our friendship
We had a share of hard times
Sign my yearbook, I don't wanna be in any more
Debt to Mister Ray-Bans you didn't even like when you were in them
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
And I hope you have a good time, hope you have a good time when you're there
Did you ask me anything?
I didn't ask you anything
Think I understand just what's pretending to-
Yes?
Um, I need to go out for a while and get the van
Sounds great
[?] and then I'm gonna go grocery shopping, so I should be back by 1:40. Have you eaten anything today?
No
No?
Just forgot
adrian montecello
on sun hot
posted the lyrics to the wrong song haha i have no idea how this site works
adrian montecello
on sun hot
Did you want to see me?
You didn't want to see me
Did you, old friend, I can you hear you stealing
Loving in the locker room
It's a careless mistake
How many people can fit into a room?
When you stop drinking everything
Just starts to not invite me to your party
Lock the door on me
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
Did you ask me anything?
I didn't ask you anything
Think I understand just what's pretending to
Not ignore me
Sitting at your amber dresser
Letter with an extra letter in my name
And we've known each other for far too long
To be losing punctuation on this alcohol
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
(See you there, see you there, see you there, Will)
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
(See you there, see you there, Will)
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
Did you want to see me?
You didn't want to see me
Did you, old friend, old friend, I can
Hardly remember all the times we slaved
Over our friendship
We had a share of hard times
Sign my yearbook, I don't wanna be in any more
Debt to Mister Ray-Bans you didn't even like when you were in them
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
See you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I'll see you there, yes I will
And I hope you have a good time, hope you have a good time when you're there
Did you ask me anything?
I didn't ask you anything
Think I understand just what's pretending to-
Yes?
Um, I need to go out for a while and get the van
Sounds great
[?] and then I'm gonna go grocery shopping, so I should be back by 1:40. Have you eaten anything today?
No
No?
Just forgot