Best Coast aka Bethany Consentino, is the latest and greatest creator of summery lo-fi pop at the moment. You may know her music from the frequently blogged song "Sun Was High (So Was I)". I caught up with Beth and had the pleasure of asking her some questions.
I heard your Where The Boys Are tape right after hearing "Sun Was High" and I definitely thought it was a little primitive compared to it. I'm chronologically confused. Did you record "Sun Was High" first or did you record the tape first?
The songs on the tape are all demos that I recorded totally on my own. Basically how Best Coast works is I write the songs and record them on my laptop using garage band, and then I email the demos to Bobb. Basically after he listens to them, we meet and record the stuff at his house. I record all the guitar and vocals first, and then Bobb does some bass and more guitar stuff, as well as programs the drum beats. The reason I chose to give Joe from Blackest Rainbow those tracks, is because his label puts out more lo-fi and experimental stuff, and I felt like the really fuzzy demos would fit well with the rest of the stuff he's been putting out. I never really planned to ever let anyone hear any of the demos, but it seemed like a cool idea for that specific release. "Sun Was High (So Was I)" is actually the first song I wrote/recorded as Best Coast. I guess to answer yr question then, I was just kind of writing all of this stuff at the same time--and the songs I used for the tape were just songs I never forwarded to Bobb to expand on.
I don't really know! I mean, I think a lot of has to do with the fact that this is my "post-Pocahaunted" project, and maybe that created some kind of curiosity in people that made them want to hear what I was going to do next. I think the lo-fi thing is definitely really popular right now, and that rules because I think it's such a rad sound. But yea like I said, I'm still kind of surprised that it's receiving the kind of attention it is, haha--I wasn't really expecting that at all.
I play all the rhythm guitar stuff, and obviously do the vocals. Sometimes I play some of the higher parts and will do like tambourine or something else--but a lot of the over dub stuff is done by Bobb. I kind of just explain to him how I want things to sound, and then he riffs off of that. It's a totally amazing process, and I feel like we've worked it out so well. Bobb is like a true mind reader too, he will play something and I'm just in total shock because he literally played exactly what I was hearing in my head. He's the truest genius.
I've never been to a Best Coast show. Do you have a full band or do you go solo?
The live show is just Bobb and I. We play to the drum tracks we use in the recordings and then Bobb plays his parts, and I play mine. It's sooooo easy just the two of us, and the set up is pretty easy as well. We have like barely any equipment to actually set up, it rules. We just cruise over in Bobb's car with like 4 medium sized amps and our guitars, and that's it. Painless.
The Art Fag 7" should be out really, really soon--which is so exciting for me, because it's going to be like the real debut Best Coast release, since the tape was not actually the recordings with Bobb. The songs on the 7" are all super poppy, and I feel like it's going to have a really sunny vibe. "Sun Was High (So Was I)" is the A side, and then "So Gone" and a Lesley Gore cover "That's The Way Boy's Are" are on the B side. I guess this 7" is pretty straight forwardly going to be really poppy and happy. The other 7" that will be out on Group Tightener is maybe a little moodier? I guess what I mean by that is just that the songs on there are a little slower paced, and the lyrics are definitely more angsty.
What are your influences?
Well obviously I'm super influenced by a lot of 50s-60s music. Girl groups, Surfy stuff, and even some doo-wop. I'm also really influenced by bands like The Jesus And Mary Chain and Galaxie 500. I just want everything to sound really sweet and poppy but also really fuzzy and sort of dark. Does that make sense?? Haha. Like the sun coming out after an epic rain storm or something.
Are you planning anything new with Pocahaunted?
No, I quit Pocahaunted a while ago.
Will Best Coast just stay as a side-project or could it go full-time?
Well since I'm no longer in Pocahaunted--this would definitely be considered a full time project. I'm just trying to have fun with it, and let it go where it goes. I'm not in a rush to make anything crazy happen. I love playing this music, and I'm really happy doing so, and that's really what matters right now.
What's your favorite album of the year so far?
"Merriweather Post Pavillion" by Animal Collective for sure. There are so many great songs on that record, I feel like it's a "best of" or something, haha. The new Vivian Girls record "Everything Goes Wrong" is also so good. I can't stop listening to it, there isn't a single song on the record I don't like!
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