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8.0
75679
8.0 |
The Observer
Their third album is another impressive set, heartbreak ballads (Fading Fast, Wasted Time) sitting comfortably alongside more strident fare, the thrashy Heaven Sent catching Cosentino in lovestruck mode
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8.0
75691
8.0 |
DIY
Granted, they may not be reinventing the wheel, but the duo feel reinvigorated
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8.0
75713
8.0 |
Spin
With songs and production this pumped, they’ll continue to make waves far outside their beloved home state
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8.0
75747
8.0 |
All Music
They come off assured and confident, fully in control of the songs and the sound in a way they never have before
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8.0
75889
8.0 |
FasterLouder
The album title may be as clichéd as it comes, but California Nights is the sound of the band developing a full comprehension of exactly what Best Coast can be
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7.6
75734
7.6 |
Earbuddy
It’s a loose collection of scattered sketches. Scraps of ideas that come together to form…something, something strong, but not something complete
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7.5
75575
7.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
This album plays like a paean to the groups that inspired them to start making music in the first place, with little regard for what anybody else might think of them
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7.5
75805
7.5 |
A.V. Club
Thematically, California Nights is perhaps a bit too troubled for a barbecue, but for driving around on a hot summer’s night with the windows rolled down and the stereo turned all the way up, it’s just right
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7.5
75964
7.5 |
Spectrum Culture
The vast array of effects the band employs in conjunction with more loosely arranged songs like the sprawling title track mitigate much of the sameness that Best Coast had fallen victim to previously
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7.5
76118
7.5 |
Beardfood
Teenage angst, slightly deeper and more existential than before, but no less obvious
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7.4
75810
7.4 |
Paste Magazine
California Nights has a powerful sound, and some of the catchiest songs Cosentino has ever written
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7.0
75790
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
It's a pretty glorious sound
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7.0
76090
7.0 |
The 405
If you like Jimmy Eat World and pretending the last 15 years never happened (which I do) then jump right in folks cause Best Coast have some bloody tunes for ya!
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7.0
75577
7.0 |
NME
Cosentino’s honeyed vocal is the only true constant. It’s a radiating sunbeam, particularly so on the giddy, shimmering ‘Heaven Sent’
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7.0
75579
7.0 |
The Music
Best Coast manage to maintain their lo-fi surf pop foundation while sounding scuzzier and more confident
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7.0
75621
7.0 |
Uncut
Taylor Swift for hipsters, and that’s not a bad thing. Print edition only
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7.0
75736
7.0 |
Exclaim
Cements Best Coast as one of the few bands capable of straddling the line between intimacy and mass appeal
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7.0
75777
7.0 |
Clash
An album of understated material that stays true to the band's initial indie pop roots
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7.0
75705
7.0 |
PopMatters
California Nights operates on a remarkably simple premise of pummeling the listener with a string of no-frills, hook-laden rockers, a strategy that partially works
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6.7
75718
6.7 |
Pretty Much Amazing
It’s an enjoyable and diversionary, if not particularly nutritious, experience
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6.7
75578
6.7 |
Consequence Of Sound
Cosentino has maybe never known what she really wants, but now she’s old enough to admit it and to draw on it for inspiration. The real California nights, it turns out, belong to the heart
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6.4
75782
6.4 |
Pitchfork
If this is what Best Coast continues to give us after six years and three albums, you can either shrug it off or let the vibes carry you away
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6.0
75576
6.0 |
State
California Nights is ultimately the perfect summer album, something Best Coast do perfectly
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6.0
75623
6.0 |
The Irish Times
True, it’s a little one-note - but if you like Best Coast’s disconsolate approach to lovelorn indie rock with a retro strut, this album won’t disappoint
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6.0
75619
6.0 |
Mojo
LA twosome forfeit indie edge for the centre ground of pop’s heartland. Print edition only
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6.0
75954
6.0 |
God Is In The TV
If you’re new to Best Coast it would be hard to recommend California Nights over their debut album
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5.0
75882
5.0 |
No Ripcord
While California Nights doesn’t offer a more sophisticated version of Best Coast so much as a blander one, the heightened ambition of the songwriting and production could be an important step forward for the band
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5.0
75638
5.0 |
Drowned In Sound
The 12-track duration of this record does feel slightly long, especially as three-quarters of it would sound like one long Best Coast song if you stitched it together
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4.0
75620
4.0 |
Q
Sad to say, this really does feel like the end of the line. Print edition only
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4.0
76093
4.0 |
NOW
Despite exceptionally strong hooks and her fine, assured singing, it's hard not to feel frustrated by Consentino's lack of depth and constant use of the most obvious rhymes
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