Tag Archives: Bethany Cosentino

BEST COAST: Always Tomorrow.

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For the past decade or so, I have been in love with Best Coast. I think this is the band that may have started my obsession with bands from California and becoming obsessed with the way they made me feel like I was right there rather than where I currently was. Always seeking some form of escapism, and I always find it in music. Best Coast released their new record, Always Tomorrow today and I’m so excited to listen to it and write about why I love it. Maybe it’ll bore you, maybe you’ll feel the same way as me.

 Today in Manchester it has rained pretty much all day. This week has given us the kind of weather that makes you want to stay at home and not go anywhere, even if like me, you love your job- you still don’t want to get out of bed. But that’s probably part of me having depression too but whatever. The sun has again come from Best Coast. This record is totally different; it is not like Crazy For You (the baby) or California Nights, and all in between. The thing I have always adored about Best Coast is the growth. What we got from Crazy For You and the journey from there to here is fucking insane. You feel like you’ve grown with Bethany and Bobb. You feel part of the journey. Always Tomorrow is such a mellow record, lyrically. Musically it is their heaviest and still has that beautiful honesty in the lyrics. I love how Bethany doesn’t need to be over the top with her words- she is so relatable, and personally, I think the band are criminally underrated.

 I’ve got a lot of sentimental value attached to Best Coast. When I met my girlfriend 10 years ago (we’ve not been together that long because back then I was a dick to her) and I would always bang on about Best Coast to her. She loves them too, and during our weird friendship (which was me being too much of an idiot to say how I felt) Our Deal was the song, THE SONG. This is why I feel like I’ve grown up with the band, and songs like Different Light and For The First Time are the songs that make you realise just how far the band have come, and how strong Bethany is. She’s just an exceptional writer, and I love the emotion she pours into the songs. I think For The First Time is a polite fuck you, and I love that.

 

 

Always Tomorrow is full of hope and growth; like I said it’s a heavier record, and it’s still got that typical Best Coast anthemic feel- this is apparent on songs like Graceless Kids. I’d play this stupidly loud right now if it wasn’t 11pm. I think this will be the one that is screamed by Bethany, and by the crowd back to her on tour. There is something so powerful about this song, and honestly, listen to it through headphones so you can soak up every single word. I just love her so much, and her words have got me through a hell of a lot and beyond. Make It Last is one of those songs that just make you feel something other songs haven’t quite done yet. It’s such a perfect song.

 Rollercoaster is one of my favourite songs on the record; I love the slick sound on this record, and I love everything about this song. It is hard to pick a solid favourite, and I know I don’t need to, but I feel like this might be the one I end up going back to. There is something about this record that reminds me slightly of Courtney Barnett, and that’s always a great thing, you know. They’ve both got this beautiful way with words that makes you feel like they are telling your story and spilling out everything you are thinking and feeling.

 This record will tug at your heartstrings and it will stay with you, just like all their records do. Best Coast have been doing this for a decade or so now, and I love how every record is different and a step up from what they did before. I love how well Bethany and Bobb work together, and I love what they create together.

 For when you feel hopeless, hopeful, lost, lonely or found- this record will be such a comfort. Songs like Rollercoaster, Wreckage and Master Of My Own Mind will get you right in the gut, and again are prime moments of growth on this record. Bethany’s voice has never sounded so strong, and you can feel every single word that she sings. She has such a distinctive voice, and I love how her voice and Bobb’s musicianship are just a perfect combination. They are both brilliant musicians, and Bethany’s voice is so soothing.  True is Bethany’s 60s Girl Group moment; it reminds me of the Wall of Sound era. You could imagine Ronnie Spector belting this one out, it is a gorgeous love song. It has this innocence and wonder to it that just makes you really proud of what the band have achieved and make you so proud to be a fan.

 

 

 These 11 songs will be all you need; they will comfort you, and they will be your crutch. It is such a beautifully honest record; just play it loud and let everything out. Let songs like Seeing Red be your release. Then fall into the world that Best Coast have given us for the past 10 years or so. It’s a stunning record, and just what I needed. Even the cover to the record fills you with hope; there’s something about the cover that makes you want to stare at it whilst playing the record. You can also sense the creative urgency on this record and given that it’s their first full length record in 5 years, it’s like they were never gone.

That wonderful lo-fi sound is there, it will always be there, and they do it in their own way. They make their own rules, and it’s just one of the many reasons as to why I love and will always love Best Coast.

BEST COAST- California Nights.

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“I don’t really mind
All of this wasted time
Just wish that I had something to show for it.”

Best Coast are one of those bands that magically take you to a place that you possibly can’t ever afford to go. In my case, I’m far too broke and too much of a coward to go on a plane for longer than 50 minutes. Best Coast take you by the hand and take you to a Californian beach. With their past records they have taken us on some ethereal journeys to the West Coast, their latest and probably best release, California Nights is no exception.

With Best Coast, I always seem to hold some sentimental value to Bethany’s lyrics. Some that in time will eventually leave me be, the rest will probably irk me for a few more years. You adapt and can sometimes forget.  Crazy For You had songs on it that were a constant reminder, The Only Place was easier to listen to and Fade Away made it easy to be an adult. Where does that leave California Nights? The escape route, easily.

The record consists of songs about leaving, growing up, being unsure and general growing pains. There are many bands that can write in a vulnerable manner but there is something about the way Bethany does it that makes you feel as if you’re the one she’s writing about. It is exactly as if she’s got in your head and wrote every nagging thought you had down and projected them for the world to hear.

Every band has that one record that defines their career and becomes their defining record.Combined with the growth in Bethany’s lyrics and Bobb’s ability to take you on some lucid trip with his ridiculous guitar skills, these are just some of the factors that make California Nights their defining record. They’ve gone from fast-paced sun-kissed tracks to hazy sunset and anthemic gems for the lost. Their sound has grown into a fully fledged adult still flailing in that awkward stage. Listening to California Nights is like falling in love, finding pieces of yourself and getting to grips with self-acceptance. Thing is, it doesn’t matter if others don’t like you or accept you. If you don’t accept yourself, then it can get difficult. I know. I know. Records like this make it so much easier to feel alright in your skin. Even if you dislike it.

It is fair to say that this record is one of the best this year. It just shows how strong a band Best Coast are. California Nights is the essence of looking into the sunset on your own, as the sun sinks into the sea with a cool yet calming breeze circling around you. It is the sound of the summer that you can feel all year, that’s the backbone of Best Coast and it is much stronger and a lot clearer in this record. The songs on this record can mend and fix a person all at once. The songs on California Nights are what daydreams are made of. Full of hope and courage at best. Songs like Jealousy see the wrong in how people behave, songs like In My Eyes make you think of the wrongs you are trying to correct even if nobody wants to know, songs like When Will I Change are like coming to terms with everything around you. The art of growing up is underlying in this gorgeous record. There is so much to say about this record; it’s the kind you sit down with someone and talk about how bloody brilliant it is. Or you could be a sad case like myself and write about it!

The vulnerability in the songs is what makes this record so damn honest and easy to connect with. I’ve read reviews about this record that say that every song sounds the same, they haven’t grown. The same old shit from those who like to be mean. Maybe it’s because I really do love this band a hell of a lot that I can’t see why anyone would slate it. Maybe I’ve got some sentiment clinging to this record that I daren’t let a bad word be said. Or maybe, just maybe I can hear a band that I’ve been a fan of for so long and who mean a lot to me, have become the band that they deserve to be. The lo-fi sound isn’t as prominent as it once was but the subtle angst peaks through and when you feel it, it’s something to really treasure.

Whether you’re a stroppy teen or an uncomfortable adult, guaranteed there are songs on this record that will make you feel as if it was written for you. Maybe it was because really, nobody likes feeling alone.

I’ll stand by the title track being the most euphoric on the record and is easily one of my favourite songs of the year, but I feel with this record that each song, with every listen they will become a favourite. There are no album fillers and there aren’t any dull moments on this record. It’s a record to take a long walk to, to listen to on your bed at 2am when you can’t sleep, to wander aimlessly up and down the beach to, to get lost and found to. Just let this record become your world, let it be the soundtrack to the summer and beyond. Records like this make you proud to be a fan of a band you quite simply adore.

BEST COAST- California Nights.

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There are some songs that when you listen to, nothing can touch you. Every sad and horrible feeling you are carrying around fades away. A song that just becomes a part of you, a very important part of you. It doesn’t matter who sings it, just as long as you feel it.

Songs that take you away, I feel, are the best ones. Real life is dull and repetitive. How do you escape it? Through headphones. You take a song that whisks you away to some place so calming and your own piece of perfection. You can find it anywhere. You might already have that song, if you do then remember you can always have more.

For me, the song that sums up everything surrounding escapism and daydreaming is California Nights by Best Coast. It is 5 minutes of sheer bliss. I urge you to take 5 minutes out of your day to zone out and listen to this gorgeous song. I’ve been a fan of Best Coast for years, and I say with confidence that this is their greatest song to date. Their debut record holds a lot of sentimental value to me, but I am willing to move on from it and cling onto California Nights with all I have. It sounds nothing like their previous songs/records, but still holds firmly onto that beach/dream-esque atmosphere. Best Coast are a band you listen to when on the beach on a hot day with nothing else to do. Pretty hard to do that when it’s freezing cold out, so you play it on repeat and allow it warm your bones in the comfort of your own home.

Listen to it on the journey to/from work to imagine you are anywhere you want to me, place it at work, on your lunch break, before you go to bed. It doesn’t matter, all that matters is you allowing yourself to be taken on this ethereal trip that you don’t want to come back from.

I wanted to write a massive essay on how this song makes me feel and such, but my words will not and cannot do the song justice. I heard it last week and it’s all I’ve been listening to. It’s all I want to listen to. Some songs win you over instantly and become a huge and vital part of you, that’s exactly what California Nights has gone and done. It is one of those songs that reinforces your love for a band, for music.

Have it on repeat, and go somewhere nobody can disturb you.

Best Coast-The Only Place.

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The second record. The dreaded second record. Make or break a band. Or so they say. Personally, I just think it is some kind of superstition or whatever to shit up a band. Don’t buy into it. Don’t believe what anyone ever tells you. The only place you’ll find truth is in a Spiderman comic. But does that mean you have to believe me? You can if you want.

I’ve been hopelessly and stupidly in love with Best Coast for the past 2 years or so. I heard Boyfriend and I felt like I had heard the song that’d change everything for me. Obviously I substituted Girl for Boy, the song always holds so much for me. The debut record just reminds me of Summer. Every day since I bought it 2 years ago, I’ve played it. I’ve played it to death, and I’m not entirely sure if I am ready to let it go and open myself up to the new record. I mean, can I really love The Only Place as much as I love Crazy For You? Well, as someone who foolishly has a lot of love to give; I can. I can truly love this record with all I have.

Alright so some naughty so and so has uploaded it to YouTube, but I need cheering up so I decided to listen to it. I WILL be buying The Only Place when it comes out, so its okay. I don’t illegally (or legally) download music. It’s pointless. I need to have the record in my hands. The Only Place is so fucking different from Crazy For You. Those who want that same ol’ lo-fi vibe, go back and listen to Crazy For You and refuse to open yourself up to something new (you boring sods!) The Only Place is more 60s girl groups than anything else. Tales of heartbreak with big drums, it’s the perfect merge of topics and sounds. Maybe I am just utterly biased towards Best Coast. I just think Bethany has one of the best voices around. So it isn’t as big/bold as..whoever- that’s why I love her. You can pick up on every tremble, crackle and sense of vulnerability in her voice. You cannot pick up on lonely feelings in something that is overproduced. If you are seeking Crazy For You all over again, then well, I guess the only thing these two records have in common is that Bethany allows you to truly connect with her, and relate to every word she is singing.

There is so much heartbreak on this record, and at times a sense of not feeling good enough. The feelings that we all feel at some point. The feelings that make us human. You should never be ashamed of that. It is totally okay to feel that way, I guess it keeps you going. Sometimes the worst feeling you can possibly imagine keeps you going. This is why I just love Best Coast. The way in which Bethany touches on these topics makes it totally okay for you to be eating cold pizza at 3am in ripped jeans, watching really bad tv shows and crying at animal rescue adverts. The alternative is sleep, but not all of us get to experience that. What I’m trying to get across is that, Best Coast make it okay for you to hit rock bottom. They make it okay for you to feel low and to currently be worthless. They give you hope. Enough hope to get through the Summer. Enough hope to go through Hell and back.

I should probably mention certain songs, right?

How They Want Me To Be is on there. I’m so fucking happy about that, because that song came out at a really vital time for me. Like, it is okay to be who you truly are although others want you to be a certain way. Never ever do that. Never give in to what people want and expect from you. Dreaming My Life Away makes you want to just lie on a bed of water and float away some place without any way of being contacted or bothered. You will find utter peace in this record. I’m pretty sure Dreaming My Life Away could be my favourite, for now.

I adore Better Girl. I think most of us want to improve who we are, and what we are. Songs like this make it easier to accept this. Changing is difficult especially when others call you out on it. Bollocks to it all! Do what makes you happy, and be honest with yourself. I’ve got a lot of love reserved for the song, Last Year. I’ll call that one out as a favourite too.

From listening to this record, I seem to have learnt a lot. Maybe I knew it all along, and I needed Best Coast to drag it out. Sure you can sense some of that lo-fi vibe, but it is NOTHING like Crazy For You and that’s not a bad thing. I say this a lot, but you truly cannot expect a band to keep making the same record over and over. This is why certain bands last because they keep changing with every record. You can find this in the works of The Kills, Placebo, IAMX and of course, Best Coast. To constantly sound the same over and over shows you haven’t grown. We are always changing whether we like to admit it or not. When one of your favourite bands changes their sound on every record, you feel at ease with the concept of changing. It makes it easier.

The Only Place is not just the perfect album for the Summer. It is one of the most perfect records I’ve heard this year, and I spend every day listening to Music. It isn’t easy to make a second record that competes with the first, but Best Coast have done it. I’ll probably end up playing this every single day much like I did with Crazy For You..for 2 years solid. I think that justifies just how brilliant Best Coast are. We need them.

Oh and also, pretty much backs up my theory on duos being the best!