Released in May, The Scholars marks Car Seat Headrest’s thirteenth album and second since the band seemed to make a major stylistic shift with Making a Door Less Open. Recorded during Will Toledo’s continued battle with long COVID, the album showcased increased collaboration among band members like Ethan Ives and Andrew Katz, which is growing more and more common with CSH’s output. What still remains, though, are the power pop riffs, introspective lyrics, and long, sprawling tracks that Toledo has become known for. It has earned him a fiercely loyal following among traditional indie-rock enthusiasts and younger fans alike.
The diversity in his fanbase makes for a pretty interesting crowd at a show. On my left was a 50+ year old drinking a Modelo and on my right a group of teenagers decked out in CSH merch who were just happy to be there. That seemed to be the theme across the 5,000+ capacity.
After essentially playing the album start to finish (save for crowd favorite “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales”), the band returned for an encore that smashed together five old tracks that a fan from any generation would recognize. They began with the melancholic “Happy News for Sadness” which bled into “Stoop Kid”, which then transitioned into old classic “Something Soon”, which transformed into personal favorite “Beach Life-In-Death”, and then finally finished with “My Boy”. Over the years CSH has made a habit of bringing creative and exciting interpolations to life and this was just another example of taking something familiar and making it fresh again.
Car Seat Headrest will continue their fairly short tour in Seattle before rounding out the year in Philadelphia, Boston, Austin for ACL, and Oakland.
Review & Photos by: Andrew Ameter
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