There are times when everything feels bland. 

Times where no amount of creativity can dig me out of a hole of insignificance and doubt.

To some, this lack of variation can be reassuring; for me, I feel uninspired and unmotivated. 

And my music taste is no exception.

In the past, I had never been a big admirer of beabadoobee’s style. Nonetheless, I did find myself intrigued by her gentle voice and indie vibes. I soon caught myself listening more and more to her music.

After countless hours replaying the same tracks, I found myself more and more disinterested; the music simply faded to noise rather than a melody. 

Her new EP, Space Cadet, differs from any other music she had created in the past—beabadoobee utilizes ingenious beats matched with an almost retro-like guitar to create a new kind of style. 

The first song of the EP, “Are You Sure,” is an angry anthem about feeling misunderstood. In hindsight, the idea of the song sounds cliche and drained, but she employs metaphorical lyrics, indignant guitar, and her relaxed voice to craft something sounding truly out of the ordinary. 

In the chorus of the track, beabadoobee talks about how alone she genuinely feels—so alone and so hopeless that she feels she might as well be floating out in space.

“My state stays the same in outer space. My brain’s alone, and no one understands.”

“I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus,” the second track, begins with soft guitar and chill drums. I really enjoyed the transition from “Are You Sure” to this specific track since it talks about changing for yourself, not somebody else.

“I wanted change, no one forced it. My hair is blue; it’s pretty obvious that I kinda like it.” 

These lyrics woke me up. 

Beabadoobee’s unintentionally unwavering confidence inspired me—I am reminded that, although I may feel alone at times, it doesn’t mean that I need validation from others to do what makes me happy. Your contentment should come first; you can’t help others until you help yourself. 

The next song of the EP was one that I had to listen to more closely to fully understand the message. I didn’t really enjoy “Sun More Often” upon first examination. 

When I took the time to look past the awkward beat of the song, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found hidden in the lyrics. 

“In your head, you’re scared—so just sing along to the song in your head ‘cause if you try to ask me how, you never know what to expect or how to get up. You should go out and see the sun more often. If you try, you’ll see that the world’s not as scary as it seems.” 

The honesty in these words brought on a brighter perspective of the world and really made me think.

Sometimes, when you are stuck in a bad and uncreative place, you just need to take the time to be with the sun. In my eyes, the sun represents what makes me happy, as well as the things and people I look forward to doing and seeing at the conclusion of my worst days.

The finale of the EP, “Space Cadet,” is, rightly so, the highlight of the soundtrack. 

The track begins with original, intricate instrumentals.

“Haven’t left my bed, never brush my hair, and if you look me in the eyes, you’ll see that I don’t care.”

I admired beabadoobee’s honest view of her life. I admired that she acknowledged her depression in such a candid way.

“You don’t seem to understand. This candy-floss-made spacecraft took the dirt out from my brain—threw them out to outer space through the milky way, past the morning sun. Pluto is lightyears away, and all our worries, they’re all gone.”

Sometimes the only thing to keep us in a more positive headspace is to look to the things in life that make us the happiest; those things can carry all our worries away.  Beabadoobee does an exceptional job of illustrating how it feels with, and without, an anchor to hold us in place; an anchor that is preventing the boat from getting lost at sea.