Virginia native Car Seat Headrest tops Rolling Stone’s top albums of 2016

by | Nov 28, 2016 | MUSIC

Rolling Stone has dropped their top albums of 2016 and a Virginia native has landed a choice spot in the top 10.


Rolling Stone has dropped their top albums of 2016 and a Virginia native has landed a choice spot in the top 10.

Car Seat Headrest, AKA Leesburg’s Will Toledo, dropped one of the best indie records of 2016 with the release of Teens of Denial, a rocking trip down a self-deprecating road filled with impressive riffs and catchy choruses.

And Rolling Stone agrees, putting the record at #6 for the year:

…the sound was anything but depressed. Like Nirvana building quiet and explosiveness into the same space, Car Seat Headrest knows how to be intimate and epic at the same time.

RVAMag’s Doug Nunnally caught up with Toledo ahead of the release of Teens of Denial and a show he had a Strange Matter. The cops got called but the band managed to play about 5 songs before it all got shut down.

Car Seat Headrest also managed to swing through the National back in September of this year. RVAMag reviewer Sarah Schuster said the gig was a non-stop mosh pit as well as a return-home set for the artist who spent his early days jamming in college bars at William & Mary.

Head over to Rolling Stone to check the rest of the list – Spoiler alert, Beyonce’s Lemonade was #1.

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com




more in music

Fourth of July 2026 in Richmond: Fireworks, Festivals, and More

The best Fourth of July celebration in Richmond probably isn't the one with the biggest fireworks. It's the one where someone forgot the hot dog buns, the cooler is running low on ice, kids are chasing each other through sprinklers, and somebody insists they know a...

IllumiNATION Tells America’s Story on a Monumental Scale

Editor’s Note: RVA Magazine is partnering with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on coverage related to America’s 250th anniversary, including Richmond SailFest and IllumiNation. It's hard to impress people with just a building. Yet standing in front of the...

Blöthar: “GWAR Didn’t Change. The World Freakin Changed.”

Richmond metal band GWAR says the Secret Service contacted the group following a recent performance at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C., that featured the mock execution of a Donald Trump effigy. Video of the performance, which showed band members...

Kelli Strawbridge Re-Releases Kings And Returns To The Camel

Ten years ago, Richmond drummer, bandleader, and all-around musical utility player Kelli Strawbridge released Kings, a collaborative soul and funk record built alongside producer and keyboardist DJ Harrison of Butcher Brown. The album arrived at a moment when...

The Last Ride of The Golden Pony

Every good music scene has a few rooms that become bigger than themselves. They rarely make headlines while they're open, but their importance becomes obvious when they disappear. For Harrisonburg, The Golden Pony was one of those places. After eleven years of hosting...