no. 35 - A Shedding Snake by Outer Spaces

            Are you ever just like, wow, there is this one band is emblematic of an entire portion of my life that I am still currently living in? A band that is so good, so all-encompassing of your favorite sounds, that you know it will define an entire section of your time on earth? If you haven’t experienced this, I suggest you go listen to Outer Spaces, because they are that band for me. They’re Baltimore locals, and their music will always feel like I’m living in Charles Village, going to the farmers market every Saturday and doing my silly little neighborhood errands. Right now, listening to their 2016 album “A Shedding Snake,” I can’t decide which song is my favorite. It starts with ‘I Saw You,’ and I was like oh man this is my favorite song. And then it turned to ‘Words’ and I said, oh shit no it’s this one, this is my favorite song off the album, and it just keeps going down the track list. I love the slow build of ‘Mint on The Sill,’ the sinister cowboy vibes of ‘Born Enemy,’ and I love the way the tracks seamlessly complement each other to make this album as good as it is.  

Living in Baltimore and loving a local band means I’ve gotten to see them a few times in spots that are really close to my house. Their music feels like a local indulgence, almost like the homemade Belgian waffle I buy from the farmers market every spring Saturday morning. I associate them fully with Baltimore, with the life I’ve created for myself here, and with the longing to come back to it I feel whenever I leave. “A Shedding Snake” reminds me of walking down to Wyman Dell in the fall, leaves slowly twisting down from their branches onto the sidewalks cracked with old trees, of days where you have to wear a jacket until you step into the sun. Can you tell I’m feeling poetic about Baltimore today?

Yesterday I was feeling stuck in my routine, guilty for thinking of anything except the horrible things happening all around me. I wrote a long draft about it last night, intending to edit and post it today, but when I reread it, I found I didn’t feel like that anymore. Today, I had three stressful and important deadlines to meet for work, which of course were contributing to the stress I felt last night. But today, I pulled it off. I ordered pho to celebrate, and I’m sitting in my bed in Baltimore with my cat, waiting for my favorite food to arrive, listening to one of my all-time favorite albums after having met every single deadline. I feel purposeful in my routine today, not stuck. And that’s what this album feels like to me- a contented routine that leaves room for everything I need.

I’m eagerly awaiting the day I can see Outer Spaces in person again, because I don’t think I’ve gotten the chance to hear their newest album, Gazing Globe, live yet. Their music always fills me up, providing an easy break within my day to sit back and feel like it’s a warm, content morning, full of orange fall leaves and sun beams. I highly suggest listening to their music if you’re not familiar, cause we all sure could use some of that in our lives lately. You can listen to their music here.