I Wish You Would Tell Me How You Really Feel, But You'll Never Tell Me, Cause That's Not Our Deal

I'm so excited to finally be seeing Best Coast tonight I thought I'd write a little post for anyone who has somehow managed not to hear their summery vibes yet. Formed of the beautiful Bethany Cosentino (her initials are BC=Best Coast - it took me a while to get that) and the equally beautiful Bobb Bruno, Best Coast have just released their third full-length album, California Nights. All songs written by Bethany, the album tracks the highs and lows of a turbulent relationship, with lyrics like 'We've been taught to get along,respect one another and after all this time we still fight over the small thing'('Jealousy') and 'Guess you spent all your life comparing yourself to her, eventually you will find there's no one like you in this world' ('Fine Without You') , there's likely to be a track that resonates with you whether you're blissfully happy or recently heartbroken. You can hear 'California Nights' in it's entirety here; my faves are 'Fine Without You' and 'When Will I Change?'

Prior to 'California Nights' came 'Fade Away', a seven track EP that bleeds 90's California Pop-Punk. With tracks like'Baby I'm Crying' and 'This Lonely Morning' it seems Cosentino has allowed her self-confessed insomniac nights to influence her lyrics more than ever. Her songwriting could still be disregarded as unsophisticated ('I don't feel fine, I can't walk in a straight line') but Bethany's honesty about her anxieties, whether it be losing a love or growing up make 'Fade Away' one of Best Coast's most progressive releases yet. Get past the rather mundane start of 'I Don't Know How' and you'll be rewarded with one of Bethany and Bobb's best songs yet...

 

My favourite album of theirs (so far) is their second, 'The Only Place.' While writing this I looked up a few reviews of the album and came across a fairly scathing one from Pitchfork (which you can read here). Richardson complains of the album being 'robotic rather than relatable.' I couldn't disagree more. Yes, the lyrics may be simplistic and the songs predictable, 'verse/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/verse/chorus' is a formula that Cosentino seems to favour, but that doesn't make it a weak album. It's familiar and comforting, the catchy vibrant songs stuck in your head hours after you've heard them. It transported me away from a rather grey, rainy Leeds in the midst of third-year blues and took me to the sunny world of Best Coast, wherever it was they had the ocean, babes, sun and waves (Bethany's lyrics, not mine). Here are my favourite tracks form that album:

Last but not least, the debut album - 'Crazy for You.' Setting the scene for albums to come, 'Crazy for You' is classic Best Coast, whimsical lyrics and indie-pop that breaches into surf-rock for a few of the tracks.Bethany's songwriting is simple and honest, you can't help but feel endeared to her - 'I wish my cat could talk' ('Goodbye') - well, don't we all?! Also, the video for 'Our Deal' features the amazing Chloe Grace Moretz and is directed by Drew Barrymore. 'Crazy for You' wins hands down for me in terms of videos though, it's directed by cats and features a cheeky bag of 'cat nip.' Watch both below!