| Will Toledo | |
| Birth Name: | William James Barnes |
| Birth Date: | 23 August 1992[1] [2] |
| Origin: | Leesburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Past Member Of: | Mr. Yay Okay |
| Website: | https://carseatheadrest.com/ |
William Barnes[3] (born 23 August 1992), known professionally as Will Toledo, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founding member of the indie rock band Car Seat Headrest. He takes his professional name from his mother's maiden name.[4] [5]
Will Toledo grew up in Leesburg, Virginia. As a child, he was taught piano by his father, recounting a story with Vice of how his father thought he knew how to read sheet music, but Toledo had instead only been imitating how his father played.[6]
While attending Loudoun County High School, Toledo was involved in marching band, and played trombone.[7] During this time, Toledo would also begin pursuing music on his own, being involved with the band Mr. Yay Okay, as well as under his own solo projects, The 63rd Fret and Nervous Young Men.[8] Toledo would begin sharing his work through the online music distribution platform Bandcamp after learning about the success the band Cults had been able to acquire through the platform.
See main article: Car Seat Headrest. Toledo began Car Seat Headrest as a solo project shortly after graduating from high school, choosing the name as he would frequently record his vocals in the back seat of his family's car for privacy.[9] However, as he had struggled to establish an audience through his previous projects, he chose to try to release more experimental songs anonymously.[10]
He released eight studio albums, three extended plays, and two outtakes' compilations as a solo act under the alias Car Seat Headrest between 2010 and 2014. In September 2015, upon signing to Matador Records,[11] [12] Toledo would recruit drummer Andrew Katz and bassist Jacob Bloom, turning Car Seat Headrest into a band.[13] In Car Seat Headrest, Toledo provides vocals, guitar, piano, and synthesizers. Toledo's songwriting often combines influence from literature with personal, 'confessional' lyricism.[14] [15] Toledo is also one half of music duo 1 Trait Danger with Katz. They have released three albums.[16] [17]
Toledo graduated from Loudoun County High School in 2010,[18] and subsequently enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University. After a semester, Toledo would transfer to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he majored in English and minored in religious studies.[19] He graduated from William and Mary in 2014 and moved to Seattle, Washington to pursue Car Seat Headrest professionally. Toledo is a member of the furry fandom.[20] He is one-fourth Mexican.[21]
Despite themes of mental unrest in his songwriting, Toledo does not consider himself depressed or mentally ill.[22] He has previously faced autoimmune complications since early adulthood, and developed histamine intolerance after testing positive for COVID-19 while on tour in 2022.[23] He has since used social media to raise awareness for long COVID.[24]
See main article: Car Seat Headrest discography.
| Year | Release | Artist | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | D'Urberville | The Whiting Brothers | [26] |
| 2012 | Sleeping in Herndon | Naked Days | |
| 2014 | Chai Knees | Naked Days | |
| Tie Yourself to Me | Katie Wood | [27] | |
| 2015 | Four Ways To Say Goodbye Forever | American Holly | |
| 2017 | Gold Connections | Gold Connections | [28] |
| 2019 | Midnight | Stef Chura | [29] |
| 2021 | My Head Hz | Naked Days | |
| How To Drive A Bus | I've Made Too Much Pasta | [30] |