Since bursting onto the scene with 2010’s Crazy for You, Best Coast has been providing music fans with fun, lo-fi, fuzz rock about beaches and breakups. With the first album, Bethany Cosentino’s love for all things California was on display without shame (if you couldn’t already tell by the band’s name), and it’s part of what made it so much fun for us listening.
Now, Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno are back with the title track off their upcoming sophomore release, The Only Place. Best Coast fans will find themselves at home with “The Only Place,” a song that is a proud, albeit somewhat too “on the nose,” anthem to Cosentino’s love of CA, and how it is the only place worth living in. Reading the lyrics in text gives the sense that it may be a little too preachy, but that would not be doing the song justice. Cosentino has a gift for injecting her songs with a sense of fun and warmth. So when she sings during the chorus, “Why would you live anywhere else? We’ve got the ocean, got the babes, got the sun, we’ve got the waves. This is the only place for me,” it doesn’t matter whether you are from CA or have never even been, you will find yourself embracing it.
Though the subject matter may not have shifted much, there is a welcome change of energy in the sound. The band sounds tighter than ever, with the instruments coming in clearer, and their traditional “fuzziness” ever-present, but not overpowering. Cosentino’s vocals are the showcase this time, and are allowed to rise to the forefront of the song. With a solid track like this, the future looks promising for Best Coast fans waiting for the new album.
