California Nights (Best Coast album)

Last updated
California Nights
Best Coast - California Nights.png
Studio album by
Best Coast
ReleasedMay 1, 2015 (2015-05-01)
Studio Wax Ltd
(Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length43:22
Label Harvest
Producer Wally Gagel
Best Coast chronology
Fade Away
(2013)		California Nights
(2015)		 Always Tomorrow
(2020)
Singles from California Nights
  1. "California Nights"
    Released: February 24, 2015
  2. "Heaven Sent"
    Released: March 11, 2015
  3. "Feeling Ok"
    Released: April 14, 2015
  4. "In My Eyes"
    Released: February 23, 2016

California Nights is the third studio album by American rock duo Best Coast. It was released on May 1, 2015, by Harvest Records. [2] It was produced by Wally Gagel, who also produced the duo's 2013 EP Fade Away . [2]

Contents

The band announced the album along with tour dates and the release of a "dreamlike" video directed by Adam Harding for the title track, which also served as the lead single. [3] On the band's official website, singer-songwriter Bethany Cosentino described the band's approach to the making of the album, stating: "In LA, there's a real darkness that you don't see unless you know where to look. That's a theme we very consciously decided to explore and play with when making this record. We related to the idea that things may look or sound fun and upbeat, but they may not actually always be that way." [4]

A video for second single "Heaven Sent" directed by Lana Kim and Cosentino was released on April 1, 2015. [5] Third single "Feeling Ok" followed in mid-April, which the duo performed on Conan on May 5. [6] "In My Eyes" was serviced to US alternative radio on February 23, 2016, as the album's fourth single. [7]

Two outtakes from the album sessions, "Late 20s" and "Bigger Man", were released on an exclusive Record Store Day release in April 2016.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 69/100 [8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Consequence of Sound B− [10]
Drowned in Sound 5/10 [11]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
NME 7/10 [14]
Pitchfork 6.4/10 [15]
PopMatters 7/10 [1]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Spin 8/10 [17]

California Nights has received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 69 based on 26 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bethany Cosentino

No.TitleLength
1."Feeling Ok"3:16
2."Fine Without You"3:21
3."Heaven Sent"3:25
4."In My Eyes"3:46
5."So Unaware"3:03
6."When Will I Change"3:52
7."Jealousy"3:27
8."California Nights"5:11
9."Fading Fast"2:11
10."Run Through My Head"4:00
11."Sleep Won't Ever Come"3:58
12."Wasted Time"3:52
Total length:43:22

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of California Nights. [18]

Charts

Chart (2015)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [19] 43
US Billboard 200 [20] 53
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [21] 3
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [22] 4
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [23] 5

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Australia [24] May 1, 2015 Capitol
Germany [25]
United Kingdom [26] May 4, 2015 Virgin EMI
United States [27] Harvest

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Eye Blind</span> American rock band

Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label recording contract with Elektra Records in 1996. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1997, with the band largely consisting of Jenkins, Cadogan, Arion Salazar, and Brad Hargreaves (drums). Shortly after the release of the band's second album in 1999, Blue, with the same line-up, Cadogan was released from the band under controversial circumstances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Black Keys</span> American rock duo

The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their records, before they eventually emerged as one of the most popular garage rock artists during a second wave of the genre's revival in the 2000s. The band's raw blues rock sound draws heavily from Auerbach's blues influences, including Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, Howlin' Wolf, and Robert Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wavves</span> American rock band

Wavves is an American rock band based in San Diego, California. Formed in 2008 by singer-songwriter Nathan Williams, the band also features Alex Gates, Stephen Pope and Ross Traver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninja Sex Party</span> American musical comedy duo

Ninja Sex Party is an American musical comedy duo consisting of singer Dan Avidan and keyboardist Brian Wecht. They formed in 2009 in New York City and are currently based in Los Angeles. They are also known as two thirds of the more rap-based musical trio Starbomb, together with frequent collaborator Arin Hanson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Coast</span> American surf pop band

Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009, currently on hiatus. The band consisted of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a former child actress, began writing music as a teenager and was formerly a member of the experimentalist drone group Pocahaunted. After a brief stint at college in New York City, Cosentino returned to the West Coast and began recording lo-fi demos with Bruno, whom she met in the Los Angeles music scene.

<i>Crazy for You</i> (Best Coast album) 2010 studio album by Best Coast

Crazy for You is the debut studio album by American indie rock duo Best Coast, released July 27, 2010 by Mexican Summer. The album was recorded by singer-songwriter Bethany Cosentino and her musical partner Bobb Bruno. It was produced, engineered, and mixed by Lewis Pesacov of Fool's Gold and Foreign Born. The album was released after a series of EPs that brought the band to underground notoriety with songs such as "The Sun Was High " and "When I'm with You", the latter being included in this release as a bonus track. The album artwork was created by David Rager and includes Cosentino's late cat Snacks, alongside many references to the state of California. The lyrics deal mostly with romance and relationships, with Cosentino describing them to Pitchfork Media as "about weed and my cat and being lazy a lot." The album was made available for streaming on July 12 at Urban Outfitters. Crazy for You was well received by music critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California King Bed</span> 2011 single by Rihanna

"California King Bed" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud (2010). The song was written and produced by Andrew Harr and Jermaine Jackson, of the American production duo the Runners, with Priscilla Renea, Alex Delicata and Rihanna. The song was chosen to be a single from the album through Twitter, and it was released as the album's sixth single on May 13, 2011, by Def Jam. "California King Bed" is a rock and R&B power ballad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big & Rich</span> American country music duo

Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich, both of whom are songwriters, vocalists, and guitarists. Before the duo's foundation, Rich was bass guitarist in the country band Lonestar, while Kenny was a solo artist for Hollywood Records.

<i>The Only Place</i> 2012 studio album by Best Coast

The Only Place is the second studio album by American indie rock duo Best Coast, released on May 15, 2012 by Mexican Summer. Produced by Jon Brion, the album was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, California. The album was primarily inspired by the upheaval following the unexpected success of Crazy for You. To this end, the duo attempted to distance themselves from the lo-fi aesthetic of their first release by working with producer Jon Brion. Recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, The Only Place was inspired by 1960s country music and Fleetwood Mac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty One Pilots</span> American musical duo

Twenty One Pilots are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who both left in 2011. Since their departure, the line-up has consisted of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. The duo is best known for their singles "Stressed Out", "Ride", and "Heathens". The group received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for "Stressed Out". The band independently released two albums, Twenty One Pilots (2009) and Regional at Best (2011), before being signed by record label Fueled by Ramen in 2012. Their label debut Vessel (2013) became the second album in history on which every track received at least a gold certification, making Twenty One Pilots the first and only band in the history of music to see every song on two albums earn gold or platinum awards.

<i>Random Access Memories</i> 2013 studio album by Daft Punk

Random Access Memories is the fourth and final studio album by the French electronic duo Daft Punk, released on 17 May 2013 through Columbia Records. It pays tribute to late 1970s and early 1980s American music, particularly from Los Angeles. This theme is reflected in the album's packaging, as well as its promotional campaign, which included billboards, television advertisements and a web series. Recording sessions took place from 2008 to 2012 at Henson, Conway and Capitol Studios in California, Electric Lady Studios in New York City, and Gang Recording Studio in Paris, France.

<i>Fade Away</i> (Best Coast EP) 2013 EP by Best Coast

Fade Away is the sixth extended play (EP) by American indie rock duo Best Coast. It was released on October 22, 2013, on frontwoman Bethany Cosentino's label Jewel City. Produced by Wally Gagel, the EP was recorded at Wax Ltd's studios, and was inspired by musical acts like Mazzy Star, Patsy Cline, and My Bloody Valentine. Cosentino wrote the song "Fear of My Identity" about "having an existential crisis" after using the sedative Ambien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coast (Lana Del Rey song)</span> 2014 single by Lana Del Rey

"West Coast" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey for her third studio album, Ultraviolence (2014). Written by Del Rey and Rick Nowels, it is a melancholy love song about a woman torn between love and ambition, and as a dedication to the West Coast of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Coast discography</span>

American rock duo Best Coast has released four studio albums, two live albums, seven extended plays, 24 singles, and 15 music videos. Formed in Los Angeles in 2009, the band consists of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boyfriend (Best Coast song)</span> 2010 single by Best Coast

"Boyfriend" is a song recorded by American rock duo Best Coast and produced by Lewis Pesacov for their debut studio album Crazy for You (2010). It was released as the lead single from the album on June 29, 2010.

"Go Away" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. It was released as a single from their ninth studio album Everything Will Be Alright in the End on July 24, 2015, along with a music video. The song has mostly been positively received, being compared to Weezer's older work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conan Gray</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1998)

Conan Lee Gray is an American singer-songwriter and former YouTuber. Born in Lemon Grove, California, and raised in Georgetown, Texas, he began uploading vlogs, covers, and original songs to YouTube as a teenager. In 2018, Gray signed a record deal with Republic Records, which released his debut EP, Sunset Season (2018).

<i>Always Tomorrow</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Best Coast

Always Tomorrow is the fourth studio album by American rock duo Best Coast. It was released through Concord Music on February 21, 2020. It is the band's first studio album in five years. The singles "For the First Time", "Everything Has Changed" and "Different Light" preceded the album's release. The band began a tour in February 2020 in support of the album.

<i>Natural Disaster</i> (album) 2023 studio album by Bethany Cosentino

Natural Disaster is the solo debut album by Bethany Cosentino, best known as one half of the Los Angeles rock duo Best Coast. It was released on July 28, 2023, by Concord Records. The album announcement came the same day that Cosentino confirmed she was putting Best Coast on indefinite hiatus as she focused on her solo career. The album was mainly produced by Butch Walker, except for the closing track which was produced by Davis Naish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethany Cosentino</span> Musical artist

Bethany Sharayah Cosentino is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known as one half of the indie rock duo Best Coast alongside Bobb Bruno. Cosentino also cofounded the hypnagogic pop band Pocahaunted in 2006, before leaving in 2010. She released her solo debut album, Natural Disaster, in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 Hardmeyer, Casey (May 5, 2015). "Best Coast: California Nights". PopMatters . Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "California Nights by Best Coast". iTunes Store (Australia). 4 May 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (February 24, 2015). "Best Coast Detail New Album, Release Dreamlike Video". Rolling Stone . Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Best Coast". BestCoast.net. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  5. ↑ Claymore, Gabriela Tully (April 1, 2015). "Best Coast – "Heaven Sent" Video". Stereogum. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  6. ↑ Tan, Emily (May 6, 2015). "Watch Best Coast Perform 'Feeling OK' on 'Conan'". Diffuser.fm. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Alternative > Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Reviews for California Nights by Best Coast". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ Sendra, Tim. "California Nights – Best Coast". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ Brennan, Collin (April 29, 2015). "Best Coast – California Nights". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ Moore, Sam (May 1, 2015). "Album Review: Best Coast – California Nights". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  12. ↑ Gibsone, Harriet (April 24, 2015). "Best Coast: California Nights review – LA teen rock demands attention". The Guardian . Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  13. ↑ Roberts, Randall (May 4, 2015). "Review: Best Coast's 'California Nights' has a dark side". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  14. ↑ Andrews, Charlotte Richardson (April 21, 2015). "Best Coast – 'California Nights'". NME . Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  15. ↑ Gordon, Jeremy (May 6, 2015). "Best Coast: California Nights". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  16. ↑ Hermes, Will (May 5, 2015). "Best Coast: California Nights". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  17. ↑ Carley, Brennan (May 4, 2015). "Review: Best Coast, 'California Nights'". Spin . Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  18. ↑ California Nights (liner notes). Best Coast. Harvest Records. 2015. 2547166081.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Best Coast – California Nights". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Best Coast Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Best Coast Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Best Coast Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Best Coast Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  24. ↑ "California Nights Best Coast". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  25. ↑ "California Nights" (in German). Amazon.de. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  26. ↑ "California Nights". Amazon.co.uk. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  27. ↑ "California Nights by Best Coast". iTunes Store (US). Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.