Artist: Beabadoobee
Album: Space Cadet
Record Label: Dirty Hit
Recommended Tracks: Track 1, “Are You Sure”, Track 2, “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus”
Indie-rock artist Beabadoobee released a new EP titled Space Cadet on October 15, 2019. It follows the release of her previous EP Loveworm, which came out earlier this year. This new collection of songs leans more toward a grungy sound which she experimented with on Loveworm. You really get a sense of how much her sound has developed with Space Cadet especially with her experimentation with instruments. It’s guitar-heavy with touches of distortion that make it reminiscent of 90’s rock. One of the many great things about Beabadoobee is that when you listen to her music, you get the feeling that she’s creating music that she’s excited about and not just following a specific brand-friendly formula that can make artists come off as lacking transparency with their audience. She’s authentically herself and Space Cadet is a strong EP in all areas of music production. Her soft vocals float effortlessly over the crashing drums and distorted guitars that buzz throughout each track. Beabadoobee’s lyrics pull you in with personal anecdotes and catchy choruses that will stay in your head after you finish listening. Overall, I rate this EP a five-out-of-five and I also recommend checking out her entire discography.
The first recommended track, “Are You Sure,” opens the EP and immediately pulls you in with its grunge-inspired buzzing guitar and Beabadoobee questioning, “are you sure, are you sure?” that drenches the song with feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. At the forty-second mark, the guitars and drums match Bea’s change of tone as she begins to sing with more urgency in her voice. There’s a super impressive guitar and drum break toward the middle of the song that powerfully compliment each other. It’s fast-paced and unrelenting as it completely captures your attention. This occurs right before a shift in the song where it becomes softer as Beabadoobee’s vocals become the focus as she expresses, “you think you know my brain…are you sure?” before the instruments come crashing down again followed by Beabadoobee singing, “it’s funny for you…”
Track 2, “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus” is a tribute to one of Beabadoobee’s favorite bands, Pavement. Their lead singer Stephen Malkmus is one of her music inspirations and Pavement’s influence on her recent releases is pretty clear. Lyrically, she’s expressing her feelings of wanting to be like the person she looks up to as well as referring to her own evolving identity as she navigates young adulthood. She mentions her new blue hair, the new sense of fame she has been experiencing as her career is gaining more traction, and accepting the idea of being a pariah as she sings, “I’m from outer space… think I kinda like it…” Instrumentally, the drums and strings fluctuate in going from calm to erupting in sound, layered perfectly with Beabadoobee’s vocals. Beabadoobee’s Space Cadet is filled with fun songs that will quickly capture your attention with her songwriting and the adrenaline-filled production. She’s an up-and-coming artist that definitely has a lot of success coming her way. Personally, she is one of my favorite artists and I think everyone should check out her music.
