You’re walking along the ocean shore at dusk, when you see a roaring fire down on the beach. It burns alone, so you stumble down to extinguish it. You bend down to grab fistfuls of sand, but when you stand up the fire is surrounded by a boisterous crowd of people. They entice you to join their celebration, and you do. You dance and sing with them until the early morning, when everyone suddenly falls quiet. The light hits their faces, and they’re gone . . .

One individual’s dissonance is another’s consonance. Certain frequencies and tones that are abrasive in the hands of one artist may blend to form beauty in the palette of another. Teens Of Style is the newest full-length from Car Seat Headrest, a Seattle-based solo-project-turned-band conceived and helmed by Will Toledo. This record is a wonderful example of weaving together oddball sound design and superb songwriting.

Toledo is a bedroom-producer at heart, and that DIY-tinged charm permeates through these songs in the form of jagged transitions and lo-fi-sounding instrumentation, both of which only add to the appeal of this captivating album. This is without a doubt rock music, but it possesses distinct elements of pop with its ear-worm melodies, and the spirit of folk rings true in its euphonious vocal harmonies and potent lyrical content.

Although technically a compilation consisting of tracks stretching back to 2011, the re-recording and revamping of its compositions renders it an entirely new, surprisingly cohesive listening experience. The best news is that this stellar record exists as a precursor to Teens Of Denial, a full-length of original material that Toledo is releasing in early 2016. If you’re seeking melodically superb, lo-fi-tinged rock, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)