Hold on to hope
Bethany Cosentino has just released her debut solo album, Natural Disaster, providing a window into her authentic self. This new album is simultaneously rooted in the present, nostalgic for the past and committed to the future.
The album begins with the passionate title track “Natural Disaster,” which features a rhythmic drumbeat and guitar track, with choruses that utilize pulsing guitar riffs all complemented by Cosentino’s emboldened vocal performance. This track is a particularly contemporary piece on the album, as Cosentino sings “This is the hottest summer I can ever remember / ‘Cause the world is on fire” in the wake of countless headlines about record-breaking heat waves all over the world this summer. In the face of the looming threat of climate change, Cosentino sings “Baby, we’ve gotta change it.”
“Outta Time” features energetic guitars and a supporting array of percussion which backs up the song’s desperate lyrics, which worry about finding love, lamenting “I don’t wanna run outta time.”
“It’s Fine” takes it down a notch with a groovy drumbeat and guitars as Cosentino sings about moving on from someone important in her life. As she sings about how she’s “evolved” and the other person “stayed the same,” motifs of climate are present in lyrics like “wind blowing through my mind” and “the seasons that I wasted on you.”
“Easy” takes a melancholy turn, slowing its pace by opening with a somber piano number before mixing in some light guitar and percussion. The lyrics, however, mirror the instrumentals’ emotion, because while they do lament that “Growing up is easy when you’re seventeen / Now I’m thirty-five and I don’t quite know what it means.”
“A Single Day” is an energetic but sad song which backs up its lyrics about leaving places behind with light guitar riffs and firm drum beats. “My Own City” is the archetypal indie jam with humming guitar and warm vocals as Cosentino sings about being emboldened to embrace change in life.
“For A Moment” is a vulnerable track with a whiny guitar riff and lyrics which discuss living with the existential fear that everything could disappear at any moment, but still holding on to love and appreciating it “even if it’s only for a moment.”
“Real Life” is an energetic yet melancholic song with a slow guitar riff and harmonic background vocals. Cosentino nostalgically sings about youth, and reminisces about how “we all played pretend… before it all changed and it got complicated,” and the challenges of growing up like “A/C’s acting up, man, it’s hot as fuck / Better call someone / I don’t wanna do what I have to do / This is growing up.”
Cosentino sings to someone left behind in “Hope You’re Happy Now.” This track opens with a sad, warped guitar number before picking up the energy as it launches into its trippy, melancholy tune
In contrast to some of the other tracks on the album, “It’s A Journey” affirms Cosentino’s commitment to moving forward into the future. A hopeful guitar tune with a near harp-like sound and soft drum beat support Cosentino as she sings while “It all comes crashing down / The devil on my shoulder says ‘Give up’ / But it’s a journey and I think I’ll stick around.”
“I’ve Got Some News For You” brings the album to a close, opening with a somber piano as Cosentino’s impassioned vocals shine. The lyrics are gentle and vulnerable as she sings about being “so used to being lied to” and asks “am I the only one who’s scared of bеlieving this is true love? / or do you feel it too?”
Bethany Cosentino’s bold debut album is a broad collection of feelings on past, present and future which encourages listeners to keep moving forward. Life in youth may have been so much easier, the world may be on fire and adult life may be wearing us down to the bone, but even when it becomes too much, Cosentino urges us to keep going and holding out for love.
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