Fade Away (Best Coast EP)

Fade Away is the sixth extended play (EP) by American indie rock duo Best Coast. It was released on October 22, 2013, on frontwoman Bethany Cosentino's label Jewel City. Produced by Wally Gagel, the EP was recorded at Wax Ltd's studios, and was inspired by musical acts like Mazzy Star, Patsy Cline, and My Bloody Valentine. Cosentino wrote the song "Fear of My Identity" about "having an existential crisis" after using the sedative Ambien.^[3]

Fade Away
EP by Best Coast
Released	October 22, 2013 (2013-10-22)
Recorded	2013
Studio	Wax Ltd (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Alternative rock[1] jangle pop[2]
Length	27:02
Label	Jewel City
Producer	Wally Gagel
Best Coast chronology
The Only Place (2012) Fade Away (2013) California Nights (2015)
Singles from Fade Away
"Fear of My Identity"/"Who Have I Become?" Released: April 20, 2013

Critical response

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	67/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Alternative Press	[6]
Consequence of Sound	D[7]
DIY	[1]
Drowned in Sound	3/10[2]
Exclaim!	7/10[8]
The Fly	[9]
NME	6/10[10]
Pitchfork	7.4/10[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]

Fade Away received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the EP received an average score of 67, based on 15 reviews.^[4]

Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone viewed Fade Away as a combination of the band's first two albums, describing it as "masterfully archetypal but utterly [Cosentino's] own."^[12] Alternative Press called the EP the band's "best work to date", remarking, "Lyrically introspective, musically tight and vocally resolute [...] Fade Away sounds like a reclamation record for Bethany Cosentino."^[6] Pitchfork deemed it a return to form for the band, noting that "[t]here are touches of sophistication across Fade Away that Best Coast haven't been able to achieve until now."^[11]

Accolades

Rolling Stone placed Fade Away at number 35 on their list of the 50 Best Albums of 2013, writing, "It's just seven songs but still felt like a breakthrough."^[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"This Lonely Morning"	2:41
2.	"I Wanna Know"	3:28
3.	"Who Have I Become?"	4:53
4.	"Fear of My Identity"	3:38
5.	"Fade Away"	4:18
6.	"Baby I'm Crying"	4:30
7.	"I Don't Know How"	3:34

All tracks are written by Bethany Cosentino

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Fade Away.^[14]

Best Coast Bethany Cosentino – vocals, guitars, keyboards Bobb Bruno – guitars, bass Additional musicians Brady Miller – drums Ricky Cosentino – drums on "Who Have I Become?" and "Fear of My Identity" Wally Gagel – additional guitars, percussion, keyboards Brett Mielke – lap steel, 12-string electric guitar Xandy Barry – piano

Technical Wally Gagel – production, engineering, mixing Xandy Barry – additional engineering Pete Lyman – mastering Artwork Bryan Collins – artwork

Charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[15]	122

References

1. Swann, Emma (October 16, 2013). "Best Coast – Fade Away". DIY. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
2. Fenwick, Tom (October 18, 2013). "Best Coast – Fade Away". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
3. "Album Review: Fade Away – Best Coast". The Lance. November 1, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2015.^{[permanent dead link]}
4. "Reviews and Tracks for Fade Away [EP] by Best Coast". Metacritic. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
5. Sendra, Tim. "Fade Away – Best Coast". AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
6. Davees, Bree (November 4, 2018). "Best Coast Fade Away EP". Alternative Press. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
7. Kivel, Adam (October 22, 2013). "Best Coast – Fade Away". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
8. Gormely, Ian (October 18, 2013). "Best Coast: Fade Away". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
9. Homewood, Ben (October 18, 2013). "Best Coast – 'Fade Away'". The Fly. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
10. Barlow, Eve (October 18, 2013). "Best Coast – 'Fade Away' EP". NME. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
11. Battan, Carrie (October 21, 2013). "Best Coast: Fade Away". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
12. Dolan, Jon (November 4, 2013). "Best Coast: Fade Away". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
13. "Best Coast, 'Fade Away EP' | 50 Best Albums of 2013". Rolling Stone. December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
14. Fade Away (liner notes). Best Coast. Jewel City. 2013. JWCY001EP1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. "Best Coast Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2018.