Teenage years as a whole is an experience like none other. It can have rough patches, but it can also be blissful. These experiences are ones you have to treasure, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Car Seat Headrest brilliantly captures these emotions in 2016’s Teens Of Denial. Energetic yet somber, tragic yet thoughtful, Teens Of Denials is a tour de force through the highs and lows of teenage life.

Though a massive driver in the development of indie music, Car Seat Headrest as a band has flown under the radar of many non-indie fans. Originally the creation of frontman Will Toledo, the band has gone on to garner a cult following and receive much critical acclaim over the past 10 or so years. Teens Of Denial is no exception, being listed as one of Rolling Stone’s top five albums of 2016. Teens Of Denial is Car Seat Headrest at the peak of their emotionally driven garage rock sound, packed with smart, creatively wrote music about the many struggles of high school and college life, ranging from drug use to social isolation to peer pressure. The track Fill In The Blank opens the album, a driving, upbeat rock song about being overly self-critical and not trying to help yourself. As one of the best songs on the album, it perfectly fits the tone of what you’re going to listen to; cheery, upbeat, but with lyrics that reflect darker subjects.

 Every song’s overall production is very lofi-esque, a grainy filter over every song seeking to bring out that nostalgic vibe reminiscent of grunge. The bittersweet melody Destroyed By Hippie Powers details a psychedelic trip gone wrong, while the 11-minute epic The Ballad Of The Costa Concordia elucidates the frustration of trying to grow up but failing and sinking, much like the ship the song’s name comes from. But the standout on this album has to be the second track, Vincent. Starting out as simply two chords being played over and over for more than a minute, the song elevates into a frenzy of horns and backing vocals, while Will Toledo sings about how drugs are almost a kind of self masochism. The song feels like it flows perfectly while being a chaotic mess, and it’s that very chaotic harmony that is the driving force behind Teens Of Denial. Being conflicted with oneself while being distracted by outside forces is the pinnacle of teen life, and Vincent portrays this better than any other song on the album.

Car Seat Headrest is some of the best indie music this generation, a group that appeals to the listening whims of the older generation but also the social wants and needs of younger folk. Ultimately, Will Toledo is a man who knows himself and knows how other people think, and from that outlet comes music that speaks to the soul, emotion in its most basic form. Teens Of Denial is nothing less than perfection and is worth listening all the way through.