Hollywood (Car Seat Headrest song)

"Hollywood" is a song by American indie rock band Car Seat Headrest. It was released on April 16, 2020, through Matador Records, as the third single from their twelfth studio album, Making a Door Less Open (2020). The song was written and produced by bandleader Will Toledo and drummer Andrew Katz.[3]

"Hollywood"
Single by Car Seat Headrest
from the album Making a Door Less Open
ReleasedApril 16, 2020 (2020-04-16)
Recorded
  • January 2019
  • October 2019
StudioAvast Recording Co. (Seattle)
Genre
Length3:23
LabelMatador
Songwriter(s)
  • William Barnes
  • Andrew Katz
Producer(s)
  • Andrew Katz
  • Will Toledo
Car Seat Headrest singles chronology
"Martin"
(2020)		 "Hollywood"
(2020)		 "There Must Be More Than Blood"
(2020)
Music video
"Hollywood" on YouTube

Composition and lyrics

The song had been described by Spin as Car Seat Headrest's "aim to make a big leap into alternative rock". The staff further described the song to feature "familiar heavy riffs", "a big hook" and "heavy grooves".[1] Toledo commented that the song was "about Hollywood as a place where people go to make their fantasies come to life, and they end up exploiting other people and doing terrible things to maintain their fantasy".[4] In Pitchfork's review of the associated album, critic Ian Cohen described the lyrics as "Eephus pitch" and called it "something that destabilizes through counter-intuitive simplicity".[5]

Critical reception

Writing for Pitchfork, Ian Cohen compared the song as Toledo's "version of Weezer's 'Beverly Hills'" and described the concept as "catchy" and "banal".[5] Upon reviewing the associated album, Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone called the track as one of the most "divisive".[6] Writing for The Observer, Emily Mackay wrote that the song is "pleasingly punchy, but brought down by facile lyrics".[2]

In a less positive review, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described the track as Making a Door Less Open's "dead thud". Petridis stated: "a conflation of guitar and raw-throated rapping in which the spirit of 1 Trait Danger seems rather too evident, self-consciously wacky shrieked vocals and all."[7]

Music video

The release of the track was accompanied by an animated music video. It was directed by Sabrina Nichols.[8] In the animated music video, Toledo appears as his alter ego, Trait, wearing a gas mask, as he takes a journey through Hollywood.[9][10]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Bandcamp.[11]

Charts
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12] 31
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[13] 29
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[14] 45
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References
  1. "Car Seat Headrest Shares the Riff Heavy 'Hollywood'". Spin. April 16, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  2. Mackay, Emily (May 3, 2020). "Car Seat Headrest: Making a Door Less Open review – Will Toledo in yet another guise". The Observer. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  3. "Hollywood by Car Seat Headrest on Spotify". Spotify. April 16, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  4. Gallagher, Alex (April 17, 2020). "Car Seat Headrest share new single 'Hollywood'". NME. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  5. Cohen, Ian (May 1, 2020). "Car Seat Headrest: Making a Door Less Open Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  6. Blistein, Jon (May 1, 2020). "Car Seat Headrest's 'Making a Door Less Open' Follows a Forked Path to a Big Emotional Payoff". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  7. Petridis, Alexis (April 30, 2020). "Car Seat Headrest: Making a Door Less Open review – cult indie star in middle of the road". The Guardian. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  8. Minsker, Evan (April 16, 2020). "Car Seat Headrest Share New Song "Hollywood": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  9. Kreps, Daniel (April 16, 2020). "Car Seat Headrest Caution Against 'Hollywood' in Animated Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  10. "Car Seat Headrest unleash new track 'Hollywood'". DIY. April 16, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  11. "Making A Door Less Open, by Car Seat Headrest". Car Seat Headrest. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  12. "Car Seat Headrest Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  13. "Car Seat Headrest Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  14. "Car Seat Headrest Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
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