Summer Is Forever
Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino and Wavves’ Nathan Williams celebrate their summer lovin’ with the *Summer Is Forever* EP. It opens with Wavves’ “King of the Beach,” a delightfully scuzzy guitar-pop summer hit with terminally contagious melodies, danceable drum beats and crunchy six-string distortion that clashes wonderfully with some classically twangy surf guitar. Best Coast follows with “Crazy for You,” a near-timeless slice of beach-blanket pop where Cosentino’s flirty inflections recall ‘60s girl groups while matching Wavves’ tones with gallons of wet reverb. Wavves counter with the warbling “Stained Glass (Won’t You Let Me Into Your Heart)” where Williams sings floating falsettos over a wonderfully weird blend of studio effects. Fans of old-school vinyl on the Slumberland Records roster will find a sweet familiarity with Best Coast’s “When You Wake Up.” The EP bookends with “Hawaii” by 2011 touring partners No Joy — it’s a perfect blend of 21st-century indie surf and early-‘90s shoegazing.