Artist: Best Coast
Album: Fade Away
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Label: Jewel City
Just like I wish Gwyneth Paltrow would shatter Chris Martin’s heart into a million pieces so that Coldplay would make devastatingly sad and beautiful music again, I wish Bethany Cosentino.
Would fall into a deep, sunny, and blissful love coma, so music from Best Coast would follow suit.
Best Coast is best when it’s bright and poppy surf rock like the state it’s inspired by. Bethany’s sounds thrives when she’s writing love letters to California, her cat Snacks and her (ex?) boyfriend Nathan Williams of Wavves. But from the sounds of last year’s album The Only Place and now with this new EP Fade Away, the fog is clouding up this sunny state and things are drearier than ever.
The first single off Fade Away “This Lonely Morning” starts off promising, with an upbeat poppy guitar intro, but as soon as Bethany starts spouting off lyrics, the insta-bummer starts. Although we can all sympathize with love lost, being alone and feeling sad, this EP mixes Best Coast’s sunny sound mixed with Best Coast’s rainy lyrics and it leaves you feeling confused and maybe even slightly bipolar.
A place where the album shines, ironically, is on the last single “I Don’t Know How”, which has the sweet melancholy and the desperate croon of a sad, old country song, ala Patsy Cline. But unfortunately, the majority of the tracks can’t seem to find this sweet spot and stay confusing: upbeat music paired with sad lyrics. Just look at the song titles: “Who Have I Become”, “Fear of My Identity” and “Baby I M Crying”.
My wish: Don’t let this girl Fade Away and pray she get’s a little of the sunshine back on their third album, scheduled for Spring 2014. It will make us all feel better.