Car Seat Headrest

The Mojotic Festival set in the magical ‘Baia Del Silenzio’, literally the bay of silence, a secluded but beautifully lit up haven found at Sestri Levante on the Ligurian coast of Italy, is really gaining a name for itself with the likes of Billy Bragg, Primal Scream, White Lies having already played there over this summer.

Tonight is the turn of Car Seat Headrest, the Seattle based band led by Will Toledo, a maverick genius who self released many an album himself(recording vocals in the backseat of his parents car for privacy and intimacy, hence the name of his pet project) until signing at 23 years of age in 2015 with Matador Records for an album deal. Demanding and indeed keeping control of his songs and recording style, “Teens Of Denial” was released last year and what a monster of an album it is, making nearly all major top 50 albums lists of 2016 (Rolling Stone n°4).

Recorded with band members on stage tonight that is Ethan Ives on guitar and backing vox, Andrew Katz on drums and Seth Dalby on bass, its clean defined sounds amid glorious vocal hooks with introspective but open and challenging lyrics about youth culture and life, puts Will Toledo in pole position as far as the new breed of indie pop artists.

A smallish but enthusiastic crowd gather tonight as the band casually walk on stage and in a totally cool manner, remove their guitars from the cases , plug in and start up with “Vincent”. Spartan equipment on stage really but with Will’s old Fender amp and Ethan’s vintage Vox, the delicate, clear but edgy guitar sounds are replicated perfectly. Songs are mainly from the aforementioned album with the chatty Italian crowd singing along.
Toledo and Ives are thin as rakes but energetic in their playing combining with the enthusiastic and solid drumming of Katz, the dreamy sounding bass of Dalby to give each song an uplifting lilt that has you humming hooks even days after. Highlights are “Drugs With Friends”, “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” a must on any playlist one cares to create, a spaced out jam on “Destroyed By Hippie Powers” and a new song “War is Coming(If You Want It)” which closes the set.

An encore of oldie “Beast Monster Thing” caps a superb evening demonstrating how independent music can be interplanetary and unite people, able to loosen up hearts and minds. This is a band that will make waves so go surfing and ride with them; it will surely delight!

Setlist Mojotic Festival
1. Vincent
2. Fill in the Blank
3. I Don't Mind(James Brown cover)
4. Unforgiving Girl (She's Not An)
5. (Joe Gets Kicked Out of School for Using) Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn't a Problem)
6. Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales
7. Maud Gone
8. Destroyed by Hippie Powers
9. War is Coming (If You Want It)
Encore:
10. Beast Monster Thing (Love Isn't Love Enough)