18. Car Seat Headrest - “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales”

This jam is like a self-contained rock opera starring a protagonist we can all relate to. All of us have been there, stumbling to our cars deep in the night caught within a conversation with the angel and demon sitting upon our shoulders. One is telling us we’ve got this, the other telling us don’t be a fucking idiot. We wrestle with our conscience as we sit down, keys in hand, trying our best to weigh the pros and cons as we rationalize the benefits against the potential negatives and somehow see the future through self-reflection. Emboldened by the liquid courage we like to think of ourselves as objective, and somehow different or removed from all of the statistics and horror stories we’ve heard. After all we’ve done it before, and the siren call of our own bed is getting louder by the moment.

I like to imagine the epic ending of this drama as the essence of the drunken battle taking place within the mind. It’s emotional and nonsensical all at once. Much like ramming your thoughts against the brick wall of your conscience and bloodying the knuckles of your mind in an attempt to do whats best. It’s a strangely beautiful scene to witness, and the perfect way to end such a controversial topic. There is no definitive conclusion – no way to make an irrational mind act rationally. There’s only the roulette of exhaustion and surrender.