ShockHound

About Best Coast

missmel purchased Crazy For You
reviewed Crazy For You 5 of 5

With cover art that recalls the Beach Boys' ENDLESS SUMMER and a twanging surf sound to match, Bethany Cosentino — the one-woman band behind Best Coast —isn’t treading any new water. But as sure as the waves will come in, a new generation of lovelorn adolescents will always seek out romantically-challenged pop songs awash in hooks and reverb. By that sole standard, CRAZY FOR YOU is an utterly fantastic album. Opener “Boyfriend” recounts the universal feeling of coveting thy neighbor’s high school hunk, and that hormonal desperation never abates over the course of the album. “Goodbye” has as fine a hook as you’ll discover this season, and a line that Brian Wilson probably wishes he could have gotten past the censors: “Nothing makes me happy/Not even TV or a bunch of weed.” But really, picking any track on here will give you the same sugar rush. One might be tempted to scold Cosentino for not being a little more ambitious on her debut. But summer isn’t a time for ambition; it’s a time for vacation, and Best Coast is exactly where you’d want to spend your holiday. — Joshua Glazer
bruisedangel purchased Crazy For You