[3] Alongside the quick, thunderous success came an intense level of scrutiny, vocal Internet haters and venom from selected critics, some of whom viewed Cosentino's material as anti-feminist.

While previous recording sessions were marked by goofing off and drinking, the duo took their sophomore effort more seriously and strove to create a different sound.

Cosentino wanted to create a "weird spin on '60s country stuff like Loretta Lynn, Dusty Springfield [and] Patsy Cline.

"[1] The duo had a desire to create a record that "nobody was going to call lo-fi," and Bruno reached out to his former boss, producer/composer Jon Brion, known for his work on Kanye West's Late Registration (2005).

"[5] Brion equipped the duo with vintage analog gear, and attempted to make great use of the studio's Les Paul-designed reverb chambers.

[1] Title track The Only Place has been described as a "summery, jangly love letter to California" that is "bigger in sound and scope" than Crazy for You.

The video was directed by Ace Norton and featured Cosentino and Bruno representing California driving with their top down, playing on the sand, make blended beverages out of fruit.

[10] In his review for Spin, Jon Young writes "The Only Place delivers riveting drama in a rousing pop package, with Brion rescuing Best Coast from the fuzzed-out, lo-fi indie template, cleaning up their sound and enhancing the potential for mainstream appeal exponentially without diminishing their artistic credibility", and awarded the album 8 out of a possible 10.

He stated, "The swoonsome charm of Best Coast’s debut, Crazy For You, was in its feel-good slacker vibes rather than its invention, but here they’re going through the motions...with mechanical jangly pop and the wince-inducing triteness of Cosentino’s lyrics.