Kelly’s Album of the Week: Teens of Denial
Teens of Denial is the second labeled album Car Seat Headrest has released. These guys have created an album that has originality in lyrics, style, tone, and attitude that reminds me of Pixies-style alternative rock. To see a rock album emerge with popularity these days is rare, but with a track like “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” it would be hard for them to go unnoticed.
Lead singer Will Toledo does an excellent job of exploring his depression and drug use with the tracks “(Joe Gets Kicked Out of School for Using) Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn’t a Problem)” and “Fill In The Blank.” The lyric “You have no right to be depressed. You haven’t tried hard enough to like it,” in “Fill in the Blank” gives listeners an idea of Toledo’s experience with depression. Toledo forces the listener imagine a story of his youth without sounding angsty, which is so hard to do.
The band does a great job with achieving a sound that fits perfectly with their attitude. Toledo’s Fender Telecaster and Fender Cyber Twin Combo amp has pioneered a crunchy, blunt tone that gives uniqueness to the album. The drum tone is another enticing element of this album’s sound, and the snare drum provides the heartbeat that drives the album’s excitement.
Not only does this album have popular songs, but the album also has some deep track nuggets of gold like “The Ballad of the Costa Concordia,” a twelve minute experience that never gets boring. “Vincent” and “Destroyed By Hippie Powers” are songs that further show Toledo’s lyrical genius by telling stories that feel so real.
Give the album a listen, and expect to see more Car Seat Headrest in the future. These guys are revitalizing rock one song at a time.
About the author: As an avid listener of music, guitar player, singer, and band member, I thought it might be fun to give my two cents about music I enjoy. I’m a fan of most genres, but really I just want to hear music with some artistic merit. I hope to get people to listen to music they haven’t heard and see if they like it. Also, feel free to suggest any music for me to listen to.
