Only Place
Best Coast
Only Place
Best Coast
Best Coast release their highly anticipated new album The Only Place. This follow-up to 2010’s acclaimed Crazy For You finds the proudly Southern Californian duo of Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno maturing in both their sound and perspective. While Crazy For You was a nostalgic tribute to teenage feelings, The Only Place finds front woman Cosentino starting a transition into adulthood. “I’m trying really hard to grow up,” she says. “I’m trying to let go of my bad habits and the immature things I still drag around with me.” Of course this adjusting comes with uncertainty and self-doubt, two feelings at the emotional center of an album that also features a love song to her home state of California in the title track. All encompassed in the memorable album cover, derived from a 1913 sheet music illustration paying homage to the golden state. As with all of Best Coast’s previous recordings, on The Only Place Cosentino handles all songwriting, lyrics, vocals and rhythm guitar, while multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno plays lead guitar, bass and drums. What’s new this time is their decision to work with producer and composer Jon Brion. A revered figure in the music world, Brion has collaborated with artists including Fiona Apple and Kanye West and created the scores for such films as EternalSunshine of the Spotless Mind and Punch-Drunk Love. Recorded at Capitol Records’ famed Studio B, The Only Place features a cleaner and richer sound than other Best Coast releases. Many of the songs’ arrangements are detailed with subtle percussion and unexpected instrumentation. Intricate but never overworked, the biggest change from previous releases is how it showcases Cosentino’s voice, this time letting it ring clear, unhidden by distortion and reverb. The Australian version fetures 3 bonus tracks.
- Only Place
- Why I Cry
- Last Year
- My Life
- No One Like You
- How They Want Me To Be
- Better Girl
- Do You Love Me Like You Used To
- Dreaming My Life Away
- Let’s Go Home
- Up All Night
- How They Want Me To Be (Original Demo) - Bonus Track
- Storms - Bonus Track
- Angsty - Bonus Track
Review
Fiona Hardy
For many, Best Coast’s Crazy For You was a soundtrack to 2010: a melodic, poppy, lo-fi ode to Californian angst.
While the sound in this second album has been cleaned up, thankfully the progression from grungy first record to over-processed second album has been avoided as they try new sounds and succeed in spades.
Bethany Cosentino’s plaintive alt-coast-pop songs of relationships gone awry have a raw simplicity that will take you right back to the time your last flame broke your heart and you wailed: ‘what a day this year has been’.
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