Not just the name of a particularly grating Cameron Crowe film from 1992, "Singles" is now also a blog, or column, or "blogumn" where we explore 45s, internet-only singles and EPs if we feel inclined.

It's an odd thing when a songwriter jumps ship from a band that is just gaining ascendancy - think Howard Devoto leaving the Buzzcocks before the band had a chance to peak - but such is the topsy-turvy world of music. Bethany Cosentino was one half of buzzy, weirdo-rockers Pocahaunted but left to pursue a singular vision with a bleached surf-rock outfit she calls Best Coast. Already a formidable songwriter, Cosentino throws off oddness in favor of a more precise, sweetly yearning, but ultimately hazy fulcrum of homesick melodies and echoing guitar.

The Best Coast single "When I'm With You" features the title track and "This is Real." The former may be her defining song so far, featuring a more clear-eyed production style (than the fuzzed-out "Angsty," say) and an early shift from reflective ballad to cut-and-run burner, featuring the teasing refrain "I hate sleeping alone."

The b-side "This is Real" continues in the vein of a sleepier Beach Boys medley complete with enchanting harmonies and that ramshackle blur of catchy hooks and fuzz. Like her contemporaries in WAVVES, Cosentino trudges along in lo-fi territory but makes a mountain out of a murky molehill. Highly Recommended.