Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy (2LP, original 2011 recording, white vinyl) [MATADOR]

Why you'll love it

This white vinyl 2LP set presents the lo-fi 2011 original, which Matador first put out on vinyl for Record Store Day 2018. Toledo re-recorded the album with the full band that same year as Twin Fantasy (Face to Face).

This edition

• 2LP set
• White vinyl
• Original 2011 recording

About the album

Long before Car Seat Headrest was a full band with a Matador deal, it was Will Toledo on his own, making albums while he was a student at the College of William & Mary. Twin Fantasy went up on Bandcamp on November 2, 2011, as a pay-what-you-want download, and over the years built the kind of devoted following that eventually brings a record label calling.

It's a sprawling, heart-on-sleeve record about a relationship, with songs that run long and change shape as they go. "Beach Life-In-Death" moves through several movements, "Sober to Death" is the tender centrepiece, "Bodys" and "Cute Thing" bounce, and "Famous Prophets (Minds)" and "Twin Fantasy (Those Boys)" stretch the closing sides out to an epic finish. "My Boy (Twin Fantasy)" opens the record, "Stop Smoking" is a brief, sweet interlude, and "High to Death" and "Nervous Young Inhumans" push the noise up.

Toledo always felt the book was never quite closed on it, which is why he went back. It sounds like it was made on a student's budget because it was, and that's rather the point.

Also at Kops: more Car Seat Headrest on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Matador (cat# OLE-1330-0), a reissue of the 2011 album.