Kevin Bronson on February 24th, 2015

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Guitarist Bobb Bruno — the other half of the Best Coast creative duo — never seems to run out of ideas, even if thematically the band continues to run in place. On “California Nights,” the title track of Best Coast’s third album, Bethany Cosentino waxes plaintively on — get this — the L.A. life. She’s not saying anything she hasn’t said before, but it sure is pretty, owing to the dreamy, layered guitars. And at 5-plus minutes, it’s the longest jam Best Coast has ever made. File under ’90s shoegazers we miss, like Curve and Bleach, or the dreamier parts of Hole. “California Nights,” explains Cosentino, “ties in with the idea that, in L.A., there’s a real darkness that you don’t see unless you know where to look. That’s a theme we very consciously decided to explore and play with when making this record. We related to the idea that things may look or sound fun and upbeat, but they may not actually always be that way — much like our songs.” The album, produced by Wally Gagel, is due May 5 via Harvest Records.

||| Live: Best Coast headlines the Wiltern on June 27.

Photo from Best Coast’s Feb. 19 show at the Echo by Carl Pocket