The intro to Car Seat Headrest’s almost 8 minute new single “Vincent” sounds like Will Toledo dipping his toes into something new, testing the temperature before taking a headlong dive. For over two minutes the guitar plucks its way around while slowly but surely more sounds start to coalesce. By the time everything kicks into gear it’s clear the song wasn’t gaining courage, but gathering momentum.
Toledo’s voice has never sounded as close as it does here. On last year’s fantastic Teens of Style the production had a tendency to take center stage; well and fine for someone as talented as Toledo, but now it feels like he’s ready to really be heard. This is in part due to the increased resources the band has to work with now; after a prodigious self-released output mostly through Bandcamp, they are now signed to Matador. But the hectic energy at the song’s core feels like a choice rather than having access to better equipment.
The line “I find it harder to speak / When someone is listening” has the same far away sound found commonly on Teens of Style, like an acknowledgement of past insecurities Toledo’s ready to blast past. Later he admonishes himself with a wink: “If I’m being honest with myself / Haven’t been honest with myself”, but there’s no time to linger on that thought, the horn section has made its arrival. The song has a forceful acceleration to it, like a car speeding down the highway where the outside world flashes by.and a new thought emerges every second. There’s a nod toward the past, but only to the extent that it doesn’t stop forward progress.
Teens of Denial will be Car Seat Headrest’s first full-length album of new material for Matador Records, and “Vincent” proves that faced with higher stakes Will Toledo is ready to double down.
Listen to the full length version of the track, which is almost 8 minutes long on our Spotify playlist:
Tour Dates:
02-23 London, England – The Victoria
02-25 Rennes, France – L’Antipode MJC
02-27 Lille, France – La Malterie
02-28 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso Kleine Zaal
03-14-19 Austin, TX – SXSW
03-25 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
03-26 Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
03-27 Vancouver, British Columbia – The Cobalt
03-31 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
06-01-05 Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound Festival
06-03 Nimes, France – Paloma
06-09 Porto, Portugal – NOS Primavera Sound
07-16 Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival
07-22 Seattle, WA – Capital Hill Block Party
More Info:
