Photo of Bethany Cosentino by Shervin Lainez
When Bethany Cosentino slouched onto the scene in 2009 as one half of Best Coast, she quickly endeared herself to a generation of indie fans with her languorous, weed-redolent odes to lazy days, romantic rollercoasters and her cat (and soon-to-be band mascot) Snacks. As Best Coast continued, she augmented her trademark mix of surf rock and 1950s/1960s girl group with a beefier, polished rock sound that often paid tribute to Stevie Nicks and imperial-period Fleetwood Mac. At the same time, Best Coast releases became increasingly sporadic, and when they did show up, they often seemed perfunctory. For a singer-songwriter who had already once sang “I don’t want to be how they want me to be,” there was a growing sense that for Cosentino, Best Coast had become too much of a constraint, not to mention an ideal to live up to.
So what did she do? She put Best Coast on “indefinite hiatus.” This overt declaration of independence is what makes Natural Disaster, her debut solo album, so intriguing. Produced by power pop maestro Butch Walker (a master of heartfelt, radio-ready rock and a natural choice to helm this record), the LP sounds alluringly unencumbered as it shoots for making a mature statement. Lead single “It’s Fine” sports a sunbaked shuffle, a shiny chorus, and stands as a mission statement of sorts, filled with thoughts like “imagine if I handled this shit like I used to” and “I am evolved, you’ve stayed the same”—but also, and most tellingly, “it’s fine…till it’s not.”
“Easy” starts off as a Cosentino first—a piano ballad. But it soon swells with slide guitar, opening up like a well-watered, and finally nurtured, plant. It’s a tribute to an emotionally available partner who’s the opposite of all of the left-you-on-read guys who populated early Best Coast songs. It’s also an exploration of how the person you thought you’d be when you were young stacks up to the person you actually became.
For all of the album’s gratitude and positive self-talk, Cosentino still seems at odds with her insecurities, even if she’s become more comfortable with them. The title track, led by a buoyant chorus and brightly strummed acoustic guitar, suggests we’re all doomed (personally and planetarily) and that old habits of self-distraction die hard as she sings “It’s so much easier to focus on the things that don’t involve me.” The world as an inextinguishable tire fire is a theme that pops up again in the chiming, driving “Outta Time,” and in the taut, windows-down rocker “Calling on Angels.”
It’s as easy to get as wrapped up in Bethany Cosentino’s self-doubt as she sometimes appears to be. But even as she uses Natural Disaster to illustrate that there’s no perfect, only perpetually working towards it, the star of this show are these songs that underscore her direct voice and considerable melodic gifts, which shine through even when the production gets a little too glossy. While Natural Disaster doesn’t quite scale the heights of Cosentino’s best work in Best Coast, it’s a winning first chapter in a new book that she sounds both relieved and excited to write. | Mike Rengel
