Best Coast are going on an indefinite hiatus, and principal songwriter Bethany Cosentino is going solo. Today, Cosentino has announced that she’ll be releasing her debut album, Natural Disaster, on July 28th via Concord Records, and has also unveiled the album’s first single, “It’s Fine.”
Since hitting the scene 13 years ago with their seminal debut, Crazy for You, Best Coast have been a mainstay of the reverb-washed, lo-fi-inspired, indie generation. In a statement, Cosentino explained that the time had come for the duo — her and Bobb Bruno — to move onto the next stage of their artistic lives.
“My identity as a human being, and as an artist, has been so wrapped up in Best Coast for over a decade,” she wrote. “The decision to pause the project indefinitely, and explore a new side of myself, was a very difficult one to make — but it felt necessary for me. Life is too short to not give yourself what you feel you need and want. I am excited about being just Bethany Cosentino for a while, and figuring out who I am outside of the ‘Bethany from Best Coast’ box I’ve lived in for such a long time.”
Citing the pandemic and the turmoil of recent global developments as an inciting factor, Cosentino goes on: “I kept proclaiming to the world ‘I’ve changed, I’ve evolved!’ but I hadn’t gotten to the place I really wanted to be yet. It became really clear to me that I needed to push myself into a completely different direction, because the road I was on was just ultimately taking me back to square one.”
So, she teamed up with producer Butch Walker and began working in Nashville and Los Angeles on Natural Disaster, which marks not only a new era in name, but in sound too. Listening to “It’s Fine,” an evolved Cosentino emerges — between lyrics about her growth, the country-inspired production, and the sheer fact that you can hear Cosentino’s vocals on a crisper, clearer, and more candid level than ever, the new music paints a portrait of an artist reclaiming themself. Pre-orders for Natural Disaster are ongoing, and you can watch the music video for “It’s Fine” below.
Best Coast dropped their fourth (and, possibly, final) album, Always Tomorrow, in 202o; Cosentino sat down with Consequence around the album’s release to talk about songwriting, sobriety, coming of age with Best Coast, and more. The band also embarked on a string of tour dates in 2022.
Natural Disaster Artwork:
Natural Disaster Tracklist:
01. Natural Disaster
02. Outta Time
03. It’s Fine
04. Easy
05. A Single Day
06. My Own City
07. For A Moment
08. Calling On Angels
09. Real Life
10. Hope You’re Happy Now
11. It’s A Journey
12. I’ve Got News For You
