Next month, on February 16th, indie rockers Car Seat Headrest will finally follow-up their critically adored 2016 release Teens Of Denial by going back into the past. Will Toledo and company have decided to revisit one of the most beloved records from his Bandcamp days, the 2011 album Twin Fantasy, giving it a total sonic refresh.
The results we’ve already gotten, including the expansive “Beach Life-In Death” and the glam rock “Nervous Young Inhumans” have been more than promising, and tonight, the group has decided to share another stellar selection. “Cute Thing” is another towering achievement in sound and structure, featuring lush, Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies, an insanely catch chorus, and some spaced out keyboard breakdowns. All that’s missing is the kitchen sink.
Speaking of the Beach Boys, in a press release Toledo alluded to how some of those early ’60s pop songs helped inform his creative process. “Twin Fantasy was MY fantasy and that fantasy always started with the ‘Sound of the Sixties,'” he said. “I grew up with that sound, and it was closer to my heart than anyone or anything. Music was a door to me, a door that opened into something that only I could get to, the purest and most selfish kind of art. Lovestruck ’60s pop was music in its purest form to me.”
One small change for those familiar with the original version. Where once Toledo pined for “Dan Bejar’s voice / and John Entwistle’s stage presence,” his new ideals are Frank Ocean and the “Godfather Of Soul” James Brown respectively.
You can check out Car Seat Headrest’s latest offering “Cute Thing” below.
