The band announced the album along with tour dates and the release of a "dreamlike" video directed by
Adam Harding for the title track, which also served as the lead single.[3] On the band's official website, singer-songwriter
Bethany Cosentino described the band's approach to the making of the album, stating: "In LA, 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."[4]
A video for second single "Heaven Sent" directed by Lana Kim and Cosentino was released on April 1, 2015.[5] Third single "Feeling Ok" followed in mid-April, which the duo performed on Conan on May 5.[6] "In My Eyes" was serviced to US
alternative radio on February 23, 2016, as the album's fourth single.[7]
Two outtakes from the album sessions, "Late 20s" and "Bigger Man", were released on an exclusive
Record Store Day release in April 2016.
California Nights has received generally positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic, which assigns a
weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 69 based on 26 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[8]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Bethany Cosentino
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Feeling Ok"
3:16
2.
"Fine Without You"
3:21
3.
"Heaven Sent"
3:25
4.
"In My Eyes"
3:46
5.
"So Unaware"
3:03
6.
"When Will I Change"
3:52
7.
"Jealousy"
3:27
8.
"California Nights"
5:11
9.
"Fading Fast"
2:11
10.
"Run Through My Head"
4:00
11.
"Sleep Won't Ever Come"
3:58
12.
"Wasted Time"
3:52
Total length:
43:22
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of California Nights.[18]