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May 23, 2025 Web Exclusive By Shaun Soman

Pop quiz! Which is the first Car Seat Headrest album? Perhaps 2010’s 1, Will Toledo’s earliest release under the moniker? Maybe 2011’s Twin Fantasy, his initial attempt writing an album qua album? You might say 2016’s Teens of Denial, his studio debut (of new material) with a backing band. Whatever your bent, its premise likely supposes Car Seat Headrest is Will Toledo. The Scholars shatters such assumptions.

The band’s fifth record on Matador and spiritual debut (The Scholars being their first not fully or primarily written by Toledo, but credited to, uh… Car Seat Headrest), is challenging. Four consecutive “must-hear” albums of new material “blessedevastated” college-aged audiences from 2011 to 2016; here, late-20s-to-early-30s fans will find less visceral intimacy, fewer “oh-shit-someone-gets-me” lines to sing (or sob/scream). At first, the reference-laden, 70-minute-long conceptual rock opera about anthropomorphic university kids holds you at a distance; with time, it seeps into your bones.

Opener “CCF (I’m Gonna Stay With You)” leisurely builds to crescendo before a Wurlitzer recalls “Not What I Needed” (Teens of Denial). The rollicking “Planet Desperation” takes more turns than you can shake a Twin Fantasy plushie at while standout track “The Catastrophe (Good Luck With That, Man)” threatens to fall apart from sheer exuberance, both strong reminders of the band’s signature blend of classic, prog, and indie rock styles. If nearly-19-minute-long odysseys aren’t your thing, the stripped-down “Lady Gay Approximately” manages to induce shivers from just a few layers of hazy acoustic guitar and vocals.

While less personal, The Scholars also represents a lyrical return to form. On “CCF,” literally goated character Beolco declares “Most of what memory tells us is ‘Watch out, (that shit will hurt us),’” a witty line that felt lacking (or maybe just less apparent) on 2020’s Making a Door Less Open. Elsewhere, the queer-coded, titular protagonist of “Devereaux” and his mother offer heart-wrenching refrains while grappling with the immensity of familial expectations and identity. It turns out that, even when filtered through the perspectives of furry college students, Toledo’s writing still hits. For a not-insignificant portion of Car Seat Headrest’s fanbase, The Scholars will resonate because of this lens.

When Chanticleer, Artemis, and Tiberius exclaim “We should start a band” on “The Catastrophe,” one almost senses their human counterparts beaming at the self-reference to their newfound cohesion. Whether you prefer to dissect its lyrics and backstory or let the music wash over you, The Scholars asks for and rewards attention. Like a friendship (or band, real or otherwise), it blossoms over time. (www.carseatheadrest.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 8/10