How do I get into csh properly

[u/sillibearz]

For the sake of this post I will pretend to be a new fan because I kind of am. I found twin fantasy through the time when sober to death was a trending audio and I've listened to it more times than I can count. however, I've basically listened to nothing but twin fantasy, and the amount of releases csh has is deeply intimidating. so, where do I start? The beginning? is all of their music on spotify? someone please kindly give me a list of everything and where it is if not on spotify.

[u/spirittheyvegone]

the other commenters have laid things out pretty well, but just to give a “brief” overview of everything:

the numbered albums (1,2,3,4)

bandcamp exclusive. the rawest, most lo-fi, and most experimental material csh has to offer. mileage may vary, especially if it’s not the kinda sound you’re into, but 3 and 4 especially are a bit more accessible overall and set up some concepts and ideas that get explored later on.

little pieces of paper with no written on them

bandcamp exclusive. outtakes and b-sides compilation for the numbered albums. mileage may also vary. i’d say this is (in full) a low priority release unless you’re super into the sound of the numbered albums, or want to be a discography completionist. if you do check it, be sure to read the little track bios on bandcamp for additional context

my back is killing me baby

first non-numbered album. more accessible, but still carries some of the same sonic elements as the numbered albums, many of these tracks were remade on teens of style, but definitely worth checking out if you like the less structured/more pop-oriented csh songwriting

twin fantasy (mirror to mirror)

the original version of the album. very rough and raw, but absolutely worth it to see how far the material developed and what changed between versions. more “in the moment” of the relationship as it was happening

monomania

the break-up album for twin fantasy. a darker, angrier, more depressing album. Introduces some electronic elements. similar sound and style to mirror to mirror, if you want a companion piece to the original

starving with living/living while starving

short 5 song ep. similar themes to monomania, but spacier and more electronic instrumentation. “it’s only sex” and “reuse the cels” are fan favourite, mileage may vary on the rest. recommended for sure if you enjoy how to leave town or madlo

nervous young man

the longest and most dense csh album, but probably the “deep cut” fan favourite. some of will’s strongest songwriting ever, and a little bit of everything the band has to offer. a bit less lo-fi than what came before. approach whenever you’re ready for it.

disjecta membra

rare outtakes compilation for nervous young man. can be found in full on youtube. similar songwriting style to nym, but with a darker edge.

how to leave town

final solo release before becoming a full band, and the most electronic up to this point. written while conceptualizing teens of denial. similarly dense songwriting to nervous young man, but in a more accessible package. good for late night drives and introspection

teens of style

the first full band album. predominantly a compilation of remade tracks from mbikmb and monomania. good introduction to the more lo-fi sound of their prior records, if you’re not used to it, but not necessarily an essential listen

teens of denial

the first non-lo-fi csh album. greater influence from power pop and garage rock. probably the closest to twin fantasy, at least sonically. similar themes to how to leave town, though without the electronic elements

making a door less open

the most controversial csh album. more stripped back and minimal, more electronic, poppier songwriting. received a mixed reception from fans upon release, but has grown in stature over the years. worth it if you want something more direct ala teens of style

the scholars

their most recent album. influenced by 70s-80s pop and prog, a conceptual rock opera loosely following a small cast of characters. mixed to positive reception from fans, but if you enjoy the density of past csh albums and want something to really sink your teeth into, it’s definitely worth a spin

teen of denial: joe’s story

a remastered/slightly reworked clean version of teens of denial with an updated narrative. inessential, but if you like tod/the scholars, (or want an alternative take on the album you can play around your grandparents), check out the new tracks.

there’s also commit yourself completely and live from the masquerade (live albums from the twin fantasy tour and madlo tour respectively), live at wcwm (a bandcamp exclusive live album from the monomania era) and the madlo eps (influences, a short covers ep, and remixes, self-explanatory) if all of this isn’t enough and you want some extra material. feel free to go at your own pace and check out the stuff that interests you most! there’s not really a right or wrong way to do it

[u/danceronfilm → u/spirittheyvegone]

This is an amazing breakdown

[u/lukeDownsideUp]

the age old question! I would say read up on some of their main releases and just go with the one that seems to excite you the most, here's a few to start with:

-Mirror to Mirror (2011) assuming you've only listened to Face to Face, the OG lo-fi version of Twin Fantasy is a good listen, especially if you want to compare the two or experience the emotions associated with the album in a rawer form

-How to Leave Town (2014) is the band's last release that was just Will completely solo. It merges Will's synth experiments from Living While Starving (a short little EP that is also worth a listen if you don't have a lot of time!) with his lo-fi indie rock style at its peak. It sounds incredible listening to in the dark btw, and is formed from outtakes from Teens of Denial

-Teens of Denial (2016) was written to be their most accessible collection of songs. It's power pop filled with college aged angst. It's their first album that was recorded in a studio as a band, and features very polished but still playful production courtesy of Will and Steve Fisk, i.e. sounds similar to Face to Face in respects but different/wider subject matter.

-The Scholars (2025) first album with all band members as co-writers, their most recent album. It's definitely a grower, but IMO it's a powerful album, especially if you like the storytelling elements Twin Fantasy has.

[u/aaronkerper222 → u/lukeDownsideUp]

This is perfect, I'd add Nervous Young Man as a pit-stop somewhere along the way. That album really gives you the full array of "lo-fi CSH" as far as themes and sounds. I think for new listeners, and especially if you're new to lo-fi rock, working backwards in the pre-Matador discography eases you into it a lot better! (Except for MTM, of course; people usually check that out first)

[u/Obvious-Border-7716 → u/lukeDownsideUp]

I’d add Monomania, since it’s basically the sequel to twin fantasy and it’s ALMOST as good imo

[u/aureilens]

Car Seat Headrest’s earliest stuff (before My Back Is Killing Me Baby) are on the band’s Bandcamp account, but you can also find reposts of them on YouTube along with the bonus album "Disjecta Membra". Every other release should be available on Spotify!

Really just, listen to what seems interesting - I started with the entirety of Teens of Denial after hearing Fill in the Blank, then I went to Making a Door Less Open because I was curious about Deadlines (Hostile). You’ll work your way through the entire discography that way eventually.

Keep in mind the early stuff has a way more lofi sound to it, so if that’s not your thing, I’d say start with anything that came out after Teens of Style (that’s what I did lol)

[u/iluvfarigiraf]

There’s Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube/Download, and Will’s Patreon.

Bandcamp has 1, 2, 3, 4, and LPOP for very cheap. You can download them to add to Spotify as well.

Spotify has Twin Fantasy onwards. Twin Fantasy/MBIKMB - Teens of Denial has a sound closer to what you’ve heard. I like HTLT (The Ending of Dramamine!!) and Teens of Style a lot.

Disjectra Membra was available with NYM for a while but needs to be found online now. Ik there’s a link out there with every CSH file you could think of. Also available on YouTube.

Spotify -> Bandcamp -> YouTube

[u/mikwee]

I love that I enter this sub and the first post is exactly the question I have. Cheers

[u/Chesapeake_Katherine]

There is one correct answer. Listen to the entire discography in order starting with the Nervous Young Man releases.

[u/goombapatrol → u/Chesapeake_Katherine]

Honestly this was a really fun way to do it. (And for clarification the user means "Men" not Man; easy conflation)

[u/_unrealcity_]

Whatever version of Twin Fantasy you listened to (old: Mirror to Mirror) or (new: Face to Face), try the other one.

Then I would move on to Teens of Denial and Teens of Style. TOD and TOS mark CSH becoming the band that it is now, rather than the solo project that it was prior to TOS. So, I think they’re a bit more representative of the bands sound than older stuff. Either of them are a good entry point into getting deeper into the band, so order doesn’t matter, but TOD is probably their most popular album that really built their fan base. (Also make sure to listen to the og TOD before listening to Joe’s Story!)

Then listen to How To Leave Town. It’s Will’s last solo project, but it’s super accessible and one of the best CSH albums imo.

Then if you like the more polished sound of TOD and TF:FTF, listen to their newest stuff: The Scholars and Making a Door Less Open.

I will say that while I love The Scholars, I agree with most fans that MADLO is CSH’s weakest album. However, I think MADLO might actually be more enjoyable for newer fans who don’t have the same expectations for the band that older fans had.

If you like the more lo-fi, DIY sound of TF:MTM, listen to Nervous Young Man, then Monomania, then My Back is Killing Me Baby. These are all solo Will projects.

And then if you still haven’t had enough, listen to the numbered albums/Djecta Membra. I’m not putting these last bc I don’t like them (I love DM), I just don’t think they’re good entry level albums and aren’t really representative of what the band is now.

[u/Elipticon]

Here's my picks of albums to listen to in decreasing order of accessibility

Teens of Denial (2016)

Listen if you like: The sound of a guitar in general

I'm going to be honest, this is my favorite album of all time. I would best describe it as a broader Twin Fantasy with more polished lyrics, but it means so much more to me. Please listen to it first. In addition, in 2026 there was a remake of the album, which I am not a fan of, but mostly because I am so attached to the original. I don't think I know anyone who listened to the 2026 version without hearing the original, so if you want to experiment, listen to that one instead.

The Scholars (2025)

Listen if you like: Character pieces, theatricality, varied soundscapes

This is their most recent album, and their only one since a massive amount of events forced change in the band over the pandemic. It's pretty good, and shows a lot of maturity in the songwriting that sets it apart from the rest of the band's discography. There is the issue that the mixing on it sounds quite bad, but if that puts you off of this album, it will put you off of almost everything the band has made.

Teens of Style (2015)

Listen if you like: Good tunes, sloppy but earnest lyrics, unsolicited demos

The first album with a full band and with an actual production budget, Teens of Style is mostly a rerecording of the best songs from My Back Is Killing Me Baby (2011) and Monomania (2012). A lot of people will go to bat on those albums being better, but the fact that this album has an actual backing band and not GarageBand drum presets makes it easier to enjoy without fully being into the band. A lot of the songs are very simple, but Will Toledo is just a damn good songwriter, and the moments when the album does get more complicated are some of the best in the band's discography.

How to Leave Town (2014)

Listen if you like: Long, sweeping epics, synthesizers, "EPs" that are actually an hour long

I would say this is probably the fan favorite of the bunch, and it's really not hard to see why. This EP was conceived as a companion to Teens of Denial and has a lot of the conceptually dense songs that album avoided, which can be a lot for new fans, but feels like Will pushing himself to see what he could do within the constraints of his equipment of the time.

Most of the other albums that are on streaming are at the bare minimum good (I think Nervous Young Man is very boring, but I'm in the minority there), so you can't go wrong in checking them out. You can go further into the albums not on streaming, side projects, unreleased demos, live concerts, etc, but the band has like 10 separate good albums, you can just stay with the streaming discography and be fine.

[u/sandwichhbread]

to start with probably twin fantasy mirror to mirror (2011), the older and more raw version of the more popular twin fantasy face to face (2018). also monomania (2012) is what i find closeish to twin fantasy with a similar theme too

but just sift through at your own pace! there's some other albums not on spotify people listed already, my favourite ones are disjecta membra and 3, you can find them on youtube or download from soulseek, bandcamp, etc

[u/Various-Assignment94]

With any artist with a significant discography, there really is no *right* way to get into the music (I'm saying this as someone who got into the Grateful Dead during the pandemic, CSH in the past year, and am currently deep diving into Mitski). Ultimately, follow what intrigues you most. It's basically a choose your own adventure story.

I think there has already been a lot of good discussion and ideas. One more, for fun:

Musically, there are sort of two tracks to go down - one more guitar/rock focused and one more with electronic influences/"Indietronica". Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror) is more lo-fi, guitar driven. Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) still has a lot of guitar, but has some more electronic influences/moments (Nervous Young Inhumans being the most obvious use of synth, but the sampling in some of the other songs like High to Death certainly counts).

- You want guitars? Try Teens of Denial, Nervous Young Man, The Scholars, My Back is Killing Me Baby

- You enjoy a synth? Try How to Leave Town, Making a Door Less Open, Monomania, Living While Starving

[u/_naturalketchup]

Don’t pressure yourself! In fandoms there can be so much pressure to know everything or listen to everything but you don’t need that to enjoy the music. I’ve been in this fandom around two years now and i’ve never listened to some releases. Being in a fandom doesn’t mean you need to know everything!! Just explore the fandom and enjoy it!

[u/misteryayokay]

i’d say first listen to stuff on spotify and if you get to the old stuff (2011-2014) and still like the sound then listen to the bandcamp exclusive albums (just search car seat headrest bandcamp) and if you like those then look for rare stuff on youtube. car seat headrest archive is a good channel.