7/10

We always felt that what would come next from Car Seat Headrest would be a little further from the norm for them. In 2018, the band decided to reinvent their 2011 LP 'Twin Fantasy', transforming the band's style and aesthetic to include a far more adventurous direction that they felt was more in line with what they had been working on in recent times. And it seems that those unusual and experimental feelings still run strong throughout their twelfth LP 'Making A Door Less Open', a record that looks to flip back and forth within itself in the hope of finding something that will land.

Car Seat Headrest have always looked to present themselves as an irreverent yet calming outfit, that while largely taking on the guise of a humble and mellowed group, they regularly move out of themselves to venture into unknown territory. This is exactly what we expect and receive when switching onto 'Making A Door Less Open'. While the previous singles gave us an inkling into the multifaceted and diverse avenue this full-length would take us down, when you hear it all together, it does have trouble gelling at times but still manages to pack in several really engaging offerings as it plays.

It may not be their most perfect album to date, but it certainly shows us that Car Seat Headrest are far from low on ideas. 'Making A Door Less Open' plays with their electronic inclination like never before, giving us some wonderfully psychedelic cuts and continually surprising us at every chance it gets.