Beach Life-in-Death

"Beach Life-in-Death"
Single by Car Seat Headrest
from the album Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)
Released	December 13, 2017 (2017-12-13)
Genre	Indie rock
Length	13:19
Label	Matador
Songwriter(s)	Will Toledo
Producer(s)	Toledo
Car Seat Headrest singles chronology
"War Is Coming (If You Want It)" (2017) "Beach Life-in-Death" (2017) "Nervous Young Inhumans" (2018)

"Beach Life-in-Death"
Song by Car Seat Headrest
from the album Twin Fantasy
Released	November 2, 2011 (2011-11-02)
Genre	Indie rock lo-fi
Length	12:10
Label	Self-Released
Songwriter(s)	Will Toledo
Producer(s)	Toledo

"Beach Life-in-Death" is a song by American rock musician Will Toledo under the Car Seat Headrest alias. It was originally released for his sixth studio album Twin Fantasy (2011) as the longest track. It would be then re-recorded in 2017 for his eleventh studio album Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) (2018), a complete re-recording of Twin Fantasy following Car Seat Headrest turning into a band.

Background

According to Toledo, writing a track above ten minutes was influenced by the music of progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Furthermore, he would wander around Williamsburg, Virginia completing the track. He also noted that the writing process for this track was notably different from previous Car Seat Headrest projects, in the sense that:

"I wasn’t thinking about music unless I was literally working on it. Planning out “Beach Life-in-Death” and working on it was definitely where the palette of the album took place, where it was going to be this sort of carefully crafted thing that reflected a larger plan, not just a collection of songs."

The re-recording surprise released on December 17, 2017, causing much speculation that the entirety of Twin Fantasy was going to be re-recorded soon. Only 10 days later, through an Amazon listing would the project be confirmed.

Reception

2011 version

Steve Hyden of Uproxx, while writing a guide to all Car Seat Headrest projects, described the track as the most stunning work Twin Fantasy had to offer. Moreover, they described it as a "harrowing psychodrama that recalls how the narrator “pretended to be drunk when I came out to my friends” before exploring the fantasizes he now has about murdering his boyfriend." Overall, they noted that the track, a "long, exploratory song composed of epic narratives and multiple musical movements" would become a staple of Toledo's sound in the future.

2018 version

The re-recording received acclaim by critics and the public. Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork praised the single, stating that instead of "smoothing over" the original, it instead "reinvigorates" it. Elaborating, they state that the track "hits all the same itchy, unnerved points that Toledo usually favors in his sprawling rock guitar". They also state that the track is split into three unique sections, "like a matryoshka doll of rock tropes". Lyrically, they state that it would "oscillate between the mundanities of staying alive—eating, sleeping, working, eating again—and the jitters of negotiating a queer identity and relationship". Overall, they state that "Beach Life-in-Death", Toledo embodies making your skin crawl "with the kind of unhinged ferocity that only fits inside three songs wrapped into one."

The A.V. Club was also favorable to the re-recording, stating that Toledo's "fiery energy" remains intact, describing the track as a "jaw-dropping series of gear shifts". Collin Brennan of Consequence believed "Beach Life-in Death" to be the staple highlight of Twin Fantasy (Face to Face). They stated that the track "finds the young songwriter grappling with a queer identity amidst a loose, three-part structure that provides just enough support to withstand a storm of guitar solos, quasi-spoken monologues, and verses collapsing into bridges collapsing into codas". Overall, believing it to be a "breathtaking composition that demands multiple listens and rewards in each turn".

Writing for The Guardian, Michael Hann believed the track showcased Toledo trying to "unpack his confusion and bitterness and resentment, with swoops into devastating clarity". Hannah Vettese of Record Collector used "Beach Life-in-Death" as an example of how Toledo's lyrics have become "far clearer in the mix", elaborating by stating his ability to capture "angst, fury, depression, and joy of human life". Tom Brewster of The Edge described "Beach Life-in-Death" as lyrically, being "cripplingly introspective" with "detailed lyrics" that pick apart "both unrequited love and the terrors of an increasingly modern age with a charmingly awkward flourish". they described the track as evolving from "bedroom rock" to an anthemic ballad of "teenage confusion". He also complemented the guitar work of Ethan Ives, describing them as sounding "strained" and "squealing"

Legacy

American indie rock band Glass Beach covered the track as a standalone single on January 7, 2021.

Personnel

Car Seat Headrest

• Will Toledo
• Seth Dalby – bass
• Ethan Ives – guitar
• Andrew Katz – drums

Additional musicians

• Adam Stilson – various sounds
• Amanda Schiano di Cola – trumpet

Featured performances

• Will Toledo – "the nonbeliever"
• Andrew Katz – "1traitdanger"
• Hojin "Stella" Jung – "the artist"
• Reesa Mallen – "Margot"

Production

• Will Toledo – production, mixing
• Adam Stilson – engineering, mixing
• Jason Ward – mastering