Album Review: Car Seat Headrest take chances with Making a Door Less Open
Taking an expressive leap is a necessary measure for artists to flourish and avoid falling into stagnation. It’s often concerning when a talented, established artist decides to depart their creative comfort zone. Risks of this sort occasionally lead to blemishes on catalogs, but when it’s done right, and the risk pays off, it is exciting and refreshing as evidenced in Car Seat Headrest’s latest effort.
On May 1st, Car Seat Headrest released Making a Door Less Open on Matador Records. It is their first studio album since the 2018 release of Twin Fantasy (Face to Face). From the start, the new record is a genre-twisting collage, exhibiting the band’s embracement of their vast abilities in the most direct and honest way.
Formed in Leesburg, Virginia, currently based in Seattle, Car Seat Headrest’s lineup consists of Will Toledo (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Andrew Katz (drums) , Ethan Ives (guitar) , and Seth Dalby (bass), has consistently formulated angst-driven, contradictory and seemingly confused messages delivered via lo-fi, 90’s indie rock flair.
The opening track, “Weightlifters,” kicks off eerily, before catapulting the record into a flurry of heavy electronica and deeply direct lyrics. Toledo’s humor is injected as the song establishes an exasperated-yet-energetic mood for the album, and introduces us to Toledo’s new persona “Trait.”
Donning a modified gas mask, complete with LED eyes and floppy ears, front man Will Toledo has taken an artistic cue from his previous outline, revealing that he and the band have transitioned, completely disregarding the very concept of constraint.
“Can’t Cool Me Down” conveys the power behind the raw emotional outlet that is this album. It feels like the blues and sounds like 80’s pop-r&b, binding themes of frustration, anger, regret, and persistence.
The genre-fusion continues with “Deadlines (Hostile)”, slowing the tempo a bit while connecting sentimental, introspective analytical themes to a sense of vital urgency.
“Hollywood” is the most angry track on the album and concentrates its energy toward the barrage of redundancy and cliche constantly emitted from Tinseltown.
“Hymn (Remix)” and “Deadlines (Thoughtful)” throw techno and EDM into the bowl of sonic gumbo that is Making a Door Less Open. Aside from the electronic drum patterns in “Martin,” a song that somehow fits perfectly despite sounding as if it belongs on a different album, it and “What’s With You Lately” are the more familiar, guitar-driven, indie sound which Car Seat Headrest has cultivated as their signature for a decade.
“Life Worth Missing” is the therapeutic apex of the album, followed with “There Must Be More Than Blood,” a seven-plus-minute track that maintains consistent tempo throughout and segues perfectly into “Famous,” the record’s fitting finale.
Making a Door Less Open marks a significant point of creative growth for Car Seat Headrest. It will make you laugh, think, and dance while channeling a vast array of concepts and emotion, blending into a brilliant mosaic of sound.
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