After the release of 2012's
The Only Place,
Best Coast parted ways with their label,
Mexican Summer, and
Bethany Cosentino started her own label,
Jewel City, to release the
Fade Away EP. That is basically the only thing that's changed in the
Best Coast camp. The sound is slick and punchy, the songs are straightforward and hooky, and
Cosentino's lyrics are slightly awkward but kind of endearingly so. The first two tracks sound the way
Blondie would sound in 2013 if they were stoned all the time and saw the sun occasionally, especially the super-catchy "This Lonely Morning," and the rest of the album splits the difference between
the Ramones' poppier moments and a slightly less creepily deranged
Hole circa
Celebrity Skin (especially on the powerful title track). Business as usual, in other words, but business slightly better than on
The Only Place. The absence of
Jon Brion behind the desk means there are fewer little musical tricks to distract from the songs and a tighter, leaner sound overall. The EP format also serves the band well, since it ends right about the same time the average person's tolerance for
Cosentino's endlessly introspective lyrics abruptly gives out. When the EP clicks and the music, words, and playing all get it right, one is reminded of the energy and fun that made the band worth checking out in the beginning. ~ Tim Sendra
