Artist of the Week: Best Coast

Best Coast, a lo-fi, surf rock duo, consists of Bobb Bruno and lead vocalist Bethany Cosentino. The band comes from Los Angeles and they’re not afraid to be vocal about it. Their second full-length album’s release on May 15 under the label “Mexican Summer,” is a solid summertime soundtrack.

The album has a much more mature tone than their first release, “Crazy for You,” but the themes still center around love, specifically from Cosentino, as she tries to make up for past mistakes. However, the duo maintains an upbeat tone by focusing on the carefree beach lifestyle that they successfully impose on the listener.

If it’s your first time listening to the record, try the tracks “The Only Place,” “Up All Night” and “Let’s Go Home.” On the second listen, pay attention to “Better Girl” and “How They Want Me to Be.”

A solid improvement from their first release with much clearer quality, Best Coast dropped the lo-fi aspect from this album. Listening to some of their older, but still fun, tracks like “Crazy For You” and “When I’m With You,” it’s easy to see how they’ve grown emotionally and musically. With such a vast improvement from a couple of years ago, this band definitely has a future with room to grow toward new styles and themes.

Best Coast has previously toured with The Decemberists, but this time they’re headlining their own tour in support of their new LP, or pre-release, of a few songs from “Mexican Summer.” They’ll be across the waters in June, but you can catch them at the Orion Music Festival in Atlantic City, N.J. on June 24. They will also make their way down the East Coast in July and perform at Union Transfer in Philadelphia on July 16 and Terminal 5 in New York City on July 17.

Best Coast has good vibes and relatable ballads and, according to their website, they’re inspired by, “life, love and everything else.” Check out some of their music on www.bestcoast.us/