It reaches depths previously unseen—inspired, according to Will Toledo, by the genre-transcendent nature of living in the internet age. The new album is a masterclass in mixing influences seamlessly.
Car Seat Headrest push their lo-fi signature into newly polished (and labyrinthine) space on Making a Door Less Open. The result is a glittering look at our everyday fantasies, our patterns of style and denial.
Toledo has always been a lovably jaded ringleader, and Making A Door Less Open continues to dwell on his self-criticism and feelings of redundancy. What makes it a continuously compelling listen is how each song manages to use different sonic approaches to extract a new shade of his despondency.
While Making a Door Less Open feels more mature and commercial than previous releases, it also feels like the next step on a trajectory as Toledo balances the control of solo work against the chaos, and responsibilities, of a band.
One hopes Will Toledo is more content when Car Seat Headrest next goes into the studio, but that he's also just as good and as honest as he is on Making a Door Less Open.
Making A Door Less Open has actually worked in the opposite direction to its title, opening the band to any direction that it chooses going forward. This kind of obvious talent, this type of restless creativity, will continue to evolve and blossom, often in directions that defy both convention and predictability.
Records like this make me excited for an artist’s future. It displays they are willing to interrogate themselves and their ways, and that there is more change to come. I commend Toledo for going against his own grain and pushing boundaries. Making A Door Less Open is a great record that I believe, in time, will act as a transitional artifact.
Stretching his creative wings has worked for Toledo; there's a sense of him pushing outward as well as forward, even as he questions the point of it all.
Without ironing out his early-Beck-ish quirks, MADLO's higher-fi moves demand wider attention.
The indiscriminate approach makes for a disorienting listen and a scattershot presentation makes it feel like less of a holistic artistic statement than the band’s previous albums. However, it is exciting to see the band going in a bold new direction, and there are plenty of strong tracks here.
An interesting bunt that adds color and flavor to an intriguing sound, Making a Door Less Open is a classic transitional album, which they may double back from and they may double down on; frankly, either result will be more exciting.
Will Toledo has a special talent, creating engaging narratives that provide a unique perspective to the human experience. Not every venture into new genres is a success, but this is the product of a thoroughly meticulous mind, constantly tinkering with song structure and new ideas.
Making a Door Less Open ultimately sounds like an entertaining experiment, a test of Car Seat Headrest's malleability and potential for new directions.
Even when Making a Door Less Open gets a little clunky, it remains compelling.
Across the record, Car Seat Headrest find a way to grow further into their potential as a bonafide ‘big’ rock band. It’s heartening that they’ve been able to do it by leaning further into what makes them a stranger prospect than most.
It feels more like a bedroom project than their recent full-band work, yet Toledo's knack for an irresistible chorus endures.
Making a Door Less Open would inevitably benefit from a willingness to risk spectacular failure.
Making a Door Less Open isn’t as memorable as its predecessors on its own: Toledo’s vision as a whole never feels truly fleshed out, representing the first legitimate misfire in the career of one of this generation’s most talented indie-rock songwriters.
The indie maverick is a purveyor of all styles on his studiously eclectic 12th album.
This is a mixed bag, and is – unfortunately – a bit of a momentum killer.
This is far from a perfect record, and will likely leave some listeners disappointed ... But there’s a difference between disappointment and disgust. Even the moments that don’t work perfectly are inflected with the kind of Toledoisms you really can’t get anywhere else.
The finished project is a departure from the guitar-dominated albums of CSH past, more space instead being given to synths and drum machines to provide the backing for Toledo’s consistently witty and observational lyricism.
Car Seat Headrest's latest album is an unfortunate case of untapped potential.
Making a Door Less Open goes out of its way to obscure the notion of Car Seat Headrest as a manifestation of Toledo’s life and emotions.
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