Car Seat Headrest is the quintessential American indie band of the 2010s, with Teens of Denial and Twin Fantasy both being exceptionally well received by both the public and the press alike. With a new direction and a new look, how does Hollywood stand up to the modern indie classics that they have so far produced.
I have sat on this track for a week now, a rarity for someone who is typically so quick with deciding upon a tracks quality. It feels very similar to what you would hear if Beck went back to the 90s, but with a different guitar tone. Really no other comparison would be more apt, His voice has that spoken word, bored vibe of Loser, another departure from the punkier feel of the last two albums and two vocalists instead of just frontman Will on his own. Like the rest of their new singles it is more reliant on synths than ever before and a departure from their last two outings for sure. Of course as expected many hardcore fans seem to have disliked this new direction, one in which the production is cleaner and more detailed and a complete departure from what was once the lauded lofi project of a single man.
Personally I like it, it’s different and something away from the noise drowned tracks of teens of denial. It’s hard to expect such a project, that has spent 10 years as the lo-fi indie darling of the self proclaimed patricians of musical taste, staying that way without some fundamental change. It’s my favourite single so far released and has aspects of pop that we have not seen from them before. Does the light up gas mask, akin to what you would see in electronic music since its popularisation by Daft Punk and made uncool by the likes of Marshmallo, work? It’s add nothing for me but If anything it allows for a clear cut off for any of the CSH purist on an album that is sure to divide a fan base.
It seems to have been a divisive track but I personally enjoy it and for a new direction it’s an interesting start to what will be first proper new album from the group in 4 years.
