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Aug 11, 2023 Web Exclusive By Andy Von Pip

After spending 13 years as songwriter, guitarist and one-half of beloved American surf rock duo Best Coast, alongside guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Brun, Bethany Cosentino needed a change of direction. Maybe not to find herself per se, but certainly to challenge herself and discover who she is as an artist outside of Best Coast.

And as one might expect, given her track record she’s an artist with a heck of a lot to offer. Her voice sounds richer and more expressive, the soaring melodies are still there, and there’s a much more reflective quality, whilst lyrically she reveals herself to be a masterful storyteller.

The eponymous opening track is the perfect bridge between Best Coast and what’s on offer here, soaring melodies, and playful wordplay that touch on relationships, themes of global warming, and solidarity. When Cosentino sings, “And hey, if we’re all dying, then what does it matter? We’re a natural disaster,” the impending apocalypse sounds almost jaunty.

The previous single “It’s Fine” has a country rock vibe, replete with a sweeping chorus and sparkling guitars that recall Sheryl Crow and The Lemonheads. The beautiful and touching “Easy” begins as a reflective piano ballad and has a hint of Swiftian magic to it, ” The rollicking “In My Own City”, is certainly a cut above derivative “songs to truck to” but it does conjure up a sense of the escapism and the open road. The tender “For A Moment” showcases the power and beauty of Cosentino’s voice whilst ‘Real Life’ is another example of her ability to craft beauty from darkness and is as good as anything that Swift and Dessner came up with on evermore and folklore. And the alt-country and Americana undertones really do suit Cosentino’s warm, rich vocals, which she employs majestically on the sparse, wistful album closer “I’ve Got News For You.”
(www.bethanycosentino.com)

Author rating: 8/10