Album Review Best Coast – Crazy For You

Best Coast’s ‘Crazy For You’ is a record for the summer, when your attention span has gone out of the window and your days are aimless. The Californian trio’s debut is short with the average song being about two minutes and a half long. The fuzzy garage guitars, surf pop and frontwoman Bethany Constentino’s straightforward lyrics make for a hazy record about being lazy and being in love.

Single ‘Boyfriend’ sees the singer wishing that “he” was more than just a friend and putting herself down by comparing herself to a girl that’s “not like me, she’s prettier and skinnier”. The title track deals with the age old love/hate issue with age old contrasting lines to match, the sweetest being “want to kill you but I’d miss you”. The whole album carries on around the same themes, Bethany wanting to be with someone who only sees her as a friend, missing them when they’re not around and her being confused about the way she feels.

‘I Want To’ is a highlight, starting slowly showing off her voice, repeating “I want you so much” in the first verse and repeating “I miss you so much” in the second, then it pretends to be finished before you realise that it’s been building up to the final fast and glorious repetition of “I want to go back to the first time, the first place”. It’s simple but heart-wrenching.

“The world is lazy / but you and me we’re just crazy” she sings on necessary bonus track ‘When I’m With You’ which is ironic since it’s a lazy rhyme unless it’s on purpose which would be crazy(ish) and sort of genius. This album is just that, sort of genius in its simplicity. The themes may be unoriginal but the words are heartfelt and the album is bursting with catchy melodies and driving guitar, making it far more enjoyable than a load of meaningless metaphors and complicated song structures. It’s excellent, easy listening.