‘Being here inspires me in a way that no other place does’
Bethany Cosentino loves the beach. The sandy disposition is immediately evident in her responses to our questions regarding her new project, the previously repped Best Coast. The sentiments are all Caliornian palm trees and beach blankets, which is pretty self-explanatory, given she now lives Westside after a stint in New York. But where other summery bands like Ducktails manage to emanate similar feelings (although dissimilar sounds) from the faraway reaches of New Jersey, Bethany found creating the music away from the inspiration couldn’t work for her: ‘When I was living in New York, I really wanted to be playing and writing music–but I just didn’t feel any form of inspiration in terms of music. I went to college out there, for creative writing, and essentially EVERYTHING I wrote was about California–so I guess that is what I was doing there–and this is what I’m doing here. I really truly do feel that I couldn’t be doing this any place other than CA, it just doesn’t feel like it would fit…at least not for me.’
Jumping from 10+ minute drone ecstasy jams into sunblazed 2-3 minute pop songs may come off like an active movement against her old band Pocahaunted, but apparently not. In fact, according to Bethany, Pocahaunted may not even be entirely defunct - ‘To be honest I’m not 100% sure what is currently up with Pocahaunted. I didn’t start Best Coast to intentionally go against what I was playing in Pocahaunted. Pocahaunted was then. Best Coast is now. I am really happy playing the music I am playing, and I was really happy playing that music at that time. Honestly, it’s a lot easier to play 2 minute pop songs than it was to sit on the floor and play 13 minute long drone jams–but I had fun doing that, and I’m really happy to be doing this now.’ I guess we do have to remember that it’s summer on the West Coast, and it’s always prudent to capitalise on summer vibes while they’re here. Maybe that’s why Surf City are taking so long with their full-length.
Bethany didn’t take particularly long getting her releases together though, releasing Where The Boys Are on cassette, and having it sell out almost immediately. There were a bunch of CD-Rs floating about, but they’ve been snapped up – and she’s not done with the summer vibes yet. With the two 7″releases (one on Art Fag, the other on Tightener) due ‘By the end of this summer, or early fall at the latest.’, there’s plenty to come from Bethany and Bobb. Oh yeah, everyone, meet Bobb Bruno. Her partner in shine for the Best Coast tracks, Bruno is a magically rad-sounding collaborator, who helps record, produce and perform the sunny jams, and is doing so with an up-coming full length due out ‘In the near future, but I’m not in a total rush–I’m just kind of trying to let things happen as they happen, but I definitely have plans to keep doing this project for a while’.
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It’s a laid-back attitude that’s reflected in the songs, 90’s grungey multi-tracked harmonies (just one of the contributions of Bruno: apparently he ‘Will say stuff to me like, “ok, let’s do two layers of that vocal track,” and as soon as I hear it back I’m like “FUCK YES!”‘ and the beach-towel sheen of Best Coast. And with the way her and Bruno have worked so far, there’s no need for them to stop the collaboration either: ‘(We) just work together so perfectly that I don’t want to really ever add anyone else into the equation! just two “B”’s hanging out, ha ha’.’
So good news all round for those who dig the Malibu sunshine sounds and good feelings that seem inherently associated with CA. And what of those that don’t dig her sound so much? It’s fair to say there’s been more than a little hate for the seemingly cassette-recorded spewgaze of Wavves and co. And whilst Best Coast is hardly straight up beach ‘punk’ as Wavves has been tagged, the ostensible parrallels are there for those that feel the need to hate.
‘I mean, I’m sure there are already haters out there. it’s sooooo crazy to me how people on the internet act. I mean in all honesty, I haven’t had any direct negative feedback – which is nice, but I’m definitely prepared to deal with the haters when they start showing up, haha. I just think that people who sit around on the internet and blog about how much they hate so and so when they don’t even know them, is really childish and kind of pathetic. but there will always be haters no matter what.’
Until the somewhat inevitable hate vibes hit Best Coast, it seems to be smooth sailing. With all those releases coming up and new tracks down almost every day, California comes across a a badass hub to ride the wave of sumer vibes. And so for someone whose music is so predisposed to the beach, what’s the ideal beach setting for Bethany?
‘All of the beaches in Malibu, California are soooo epic. Actually, I hate the ocean. I will not swim in it, but I think the beach is one of the raddest places ever. Just sitting on the sand with some friends is like one of my favorite things to do. Of course i don’t do it that often – but just knowing that I can get in my car and drive to the beach if I feel like it, is one of the best feelings ever. I really want to take a weird vacation to like Mexico or Hawaii or something and just sip margaritas on the beach! Dream life.’
Oh yeah, she hates the ocean. But when the sand vibes are as good as they are in Best Coast, you don’t really need the ocean. Salt water would probably ruin your ipod//tape deck anyway.
