Music Review: Car Seat Headrest, Teens of Denial

Strap yourself in. This could be the album of the year.

Car Seat Headrest is the brainchild of Will Toledo, who created it as a solo project as a teenager in 2010.

His discography includes six albums that first year, followed by another six or seven since, all released on Bandcamp.

Last year he released the compilation Teens of Style on Matador with this follow-up, Teens of Denial, out this month.

It's a wild ride of an album, combining a lo-fi ethos with the benefits of modern production, and reflecting a musical history that was mostly done and dusted by the time Toledo was born - hear the raw breathlessness of Mudhoney on 1937 State Park, the apathy of Pavement on Cosmic Hero, and the audacity of the Pixies on the Cars-referencing track Just What I Needed/Not Just What I Needed. You'll hear moments of Beck, and even a nod to Dido's lyrics makes an appearance.

UPDATE: Track pulled from album

None of that is to say this album and band aren't brilliant in their own right.

Every track is compelling, particularly the 11-minute, multi-part epic The Ballad of the Costa Concordia and the fizzing 1937 State Park.

Listen, and listen again. You won't be able to help yourself.

Rating: 5/5 stars.
Release date: May 20, 2016.