Album Review: Best Coast The Only Place

Bethany Cosentino has been at great pains to tell us that she's grown up of late; she doesn't want to sing about weed and cats, she wants to sing about mature things. Maturity can be enriching, but also awfully boring, and Best Coast straddle that line all through their “difficult second album” The Only Place.

While Cosentino's lyrics on their Crazy For You debut were far from profound, they weren't trying to be and that relatable sense of naivety was endearing. Sadly here it seems as if she is trying to hit at something that's got a little more gravitas, but she falls short. It seems harsh to pull apart Cosentino's lyrics one by one and parade their awkwardness, but they're incredibly ordinary for the majority of the record. There are a few moments where the simplicity works like it used to - When I Cry's chirpily delivered “You seem to think you know everything/But you don't know why I cry” is arresting and proves that her talent is still there - but when she croons lines like “If I sleep on the floor/Will it make you love me more?” you can't help cringe a little.

This record sounds beautiful though; weeks in Capitol Studios with Jon Brion in the producer's chair will do that. Brion has given the songs a glorious sheen that pulls them well out of the lo-fi world but keeps their sparse aesthetic. Lyrics aside, the songs plod inoffensively; chiming guitars provide sweet melodic beds and there's little reliance on rhythm. Sadly, that just makes the vocals more prevalent, and once again you're wishing Cosentino wasn't trying to grow up so fast.