Announced only five days prior to its release, ‘Commit Yourself Completely’ is the newest addition to the Car Seat Headrest discography.
Briefly mentioned in his interview with Matt Wilkinson back in June of 2018, the album stayed under the radar to a majority of fans. Announcing it on Twitter only last Friday, Toledo mentions that these tracks are from some of his ‘favourite nights’, adding that the band will be heading back to the ‘drawing board’ to ‘start redesigning everything’ after Naked Giants complete their final tour with the band this summer.
The LP opens with ‘Cosmic Hero’, live from the Tramshed in Cardiff, Wales. The synths are eerie and accompanied by the applause of awaiting fans. Toledo’s deadpan vocals fill our ears and we’re plunged straight back into the inciting world of a Car Seat Headrest show. The bridges deep-wired emotion appears magnified on this version and felt brought to life with a new sense of enthusiasm that can only be obtained during live renditions.
We’re then seamlessly transitioned to Colombus, Ohio to hear the totally adored track ‘Fill In The Blank’. The guitar work of Ives is pumped full of vitality that is easy on the ear and the principal driving force for the crowd to dance and mosh to. The final chorus is strung out, leaving the crowd and now the listener hanging on for the drop.
Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales was the song that established so many peoples loves for this band, and having the high-quality live version of it is menacingly good. It demonstrates everything that is admirable by the band, whilst capturing how special it is to see artists live. There’s almost an epiphany for listeners as we hear the faint singing of the audience in the background, flowing right through to the end of the song. It sent chills up my spine and lead me to think about how alluring it is to be a part of moments like that.
Destroyed by Hippie Powers breathes fresh air back into the LP, reinforcing the indie-rock anthems that have become sacred to the group over the last few years. Ives’ vocals mirror Toledo’s in the chorus, rasping through the microphone and adding to the illusion of angst that slowly builds throughout the track.
Toledo’s lone cover of Frank Ocean’s ‘Ivy’ is clean to the ears, his tones compliment the muted guitar work exceedingly. We take solace in the passion in his voice as he sings the lyrics, and it doesn’t feel out of place with the rest of the tracklist.
We end the album in Kansas City to hear fan favourite ‘Beach Life-in-Death’. The three-part series has become cherished from fans upon its original release back in 2011. All 13 minutes are celebrated with intense energy when on the setlist. Katz can be heard filling in the call and response to the lyrics earlier in the song, a treat that is otherwise missed on both issues of Twin Fantasy. Life-in-Death is a perfect closing track for the album and a majority of shows.
Overall, I think this album was a great idea. The hand-selected songs are reminders of great memories for those who attended the shows; tiny snippets of magic moments that they’ll now be able to relive forever. I believe it serves as the end of an era for Car Seat Headrest. That this is Toledo closing the door to the days of Teens of Style, Denial and Face to Face and making way for new music.
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