Car Seat Headrest unveiled a new song, “Can’t Cool Me Down,” on Wednesday. The track is the lead single off their new album Making a Door Less Open, out May 1st via Matador Records. They’re also hitting the road this spring and summer.
Clocking in at five minutes, “Can’t Cool Me Down” features shimmering synths and frontman Will Toledo’s falsetto. “I craw like an animal to ya,” he repeats over and over.
The single is a collaboration between Toledo and 1 Trait Danger, an electronic side project featuring drummer Andrew Katz and Toledo’s alternative persona, Trait.
“Bob Dylan said, ‘If someone’s wearing a mask, he’s gonna tell you the truth…if he’s not wearing a mask, it’s highly unlikely,’” Toledo said of the alt-persona. “He never actually wore a mask onstage so I don’t know why he said that. But I decided to start wearing a mask for a couple of reasons. One, I still get nervous being onstage with everybody looking at me. If everyone is looking at the mask instead, then it feels like we’re all looking at the same thing, and that is more honest to me.”
“Two, music should be about enjoying yourself, especially live music, and I think of this costume as a way to remind myself and everyone else to have some fun with it,” he continued. “I don’t think it changes anything else about the songs or how you feel about them to be able to drop it for a second and have fun with it. If you can’t do that then you’re in a bad place.”
According to Toledo, Making a Door Less Open took four years to make. It’s the first new music from the band since 2016’s critically acclaimed Teens of Denial. The band released Twin Fantasy, a re-recorded version of their 2011 LP, in 2018. They dropped a live album, Commit Yourself Completely, last summer. Toledo also produced Stef Chura’s album Midnight.
Making a Door Less Open is currently available for preorder.
Making a Door Less Open Tracklist
1. Weightlifters
2. Can’t Cool Me Down
3. Hollywood
4. There Must Be More Than Blood
5. Hymn
6. Deadlines
7. Martin
8. What’s With You Lately
9. Life Worth Missing
10. Famous
Car Seat Headrest Tour Dates
April 25 — North Adams, MA @ MASS MoCA
May 27 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
May 28 — Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
May 29 — Chicago, IL @ The Vic
May 30— Chicago, IL @ The Vic
June 2 — Detroit, MI @ The Majestic
June 3 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth
June 4 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth
June 6 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues
June 7 — Portland, ME @ State Theatre
June 9 — New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
June 10 — New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
June 11 — New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
June 13 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
June 14 — Washington, D.C. @ Anthem
June 16 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
June 17 — Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
June 18 — Columbia, SC @ The Senate
June 19 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
June 20 — Nashville, TN—Brooklyn Bowl
July 9 — Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore
July 10 — Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore
July 11 —Seattle, WA @ Paramount
July 12 — Portland, OR @ Roseland
July 14 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
July 17 — San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
July 18 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
July 19 — Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren
July 22 — Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
July 23 — Houston, TX @ White Oak
July 24 — Dallax, TX @ Granada
July 25 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Tower
July 26 — Kansas City, KS @ The Crossroads
July 28 — Denver, CO @ The Ogden