Car Seat Headrest had to figure out how to cram a 7-minute song into a 4-minute sack on The Tonight Show on Wednesday night (May 9). So, singer Will Toledo attacked the frantic Twin Fantasy track “Bodys” with his signature intensity, providing a running narration of the high-energy song as his band bashed out the funky beat behind him. While the original is a cascade of emo rock guitar riffs, acoustic breakdowns and casual conversation, Toledo hit the bridge with a probing question as he kept one eye on the clock: “Is it the chorus yet? Yes, cuz we’re on live TV and only have four minutes to play this song,” he deadpanned.
Between the flashing lights, polyrhythmic beats and Toledo hitting some signature ‘Running Man’-esque dance moves in his baggy white T-shirt, the performance sped by in comparison to the recorded version. Right before the final chorus, Toledo spoke to the audience again, confidently saying “and normally we do a bit of a breakdown here but we only have 50 seconds so we’re just gonna go right to the final chorus.”
While the commentary might have come off as awkward, the studio audience soaked it up and cheered uproariously as Toledo burst into the final hook.
In addition to dominating The Tonight Show, Car Seat Headrest is also in the midst of an international tour, with their next performance set to be in Dublin, Ireland on May 16.
Check out the performance below: