Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Meat in Space is a musical project masterminded by Shawn Stedman, a songwriter, singer, and audio engineer. Responsible for everything on Tangerine, Stedman is showcasing a vast array of musical gifts. A capable songwriter who knows how to grip listeners by entrancing, intense guitar riffs, menacing melodies, and hairy-chested songwriting. Stedman’s guitar playing is rhythmically brilliant, efficient, simple-but-tight, and his tone is calculated far beyond the perceived crudeness of the sound of the songs.

Tangerine is a short collection of pure analog mayhem. The extra attention paid by Meat in Space to execute all recordings using reel-to-reel equipment and a Tascam 8-track displays a passion for his craft, as well as a particular sound he’s going for, and that sound harkens to proto-punk from the late 60s, alternative grunge, and a heavy-handed alternative rock flair. The vintage sound on the album can be witnessed on all of the EP’s 5 songs, but most prominently in the driving and punchy distorted anthem ‘Tangerine’, which starts the EP. The explosive riff, catchy hook, and lush distortion on the rhythm guitars make for an instantly banging piece of punk. ‘Tangerine’ is a nuanced composition that’s intricately structured with a bass solo, an involved bridge, and a verse that goes in a different direction to that of the hook. An astonishing display of Stedman’s impressive list of skills.

‘Chromium Dioxide’ is a more experimental piece with its dissonant riffs and melodies. Another gripping piece with its infectious groove and brooding-but-humorous atmosphere. ‘Ruby Tourmaline’ is my favorite on the EP, as well as being the album’s most distinctive offering. From the clunky sound of the drums and clean, shuffling guitar performance, this song, and its open-ended lyrics are an assault to the senses. ‘Ruby Tourmaline’ is also the album’s lightest song in sound, but maybe most intricate in arrangement, with backing vocal wails, intrusive synth lines, and a rhythm guitar part that sounds addictive. Then battering and brash ‘Call the Coroner’ ends the album on a minute-and-a-half of pure mayhem.

Meat in Space’s debut EP is fantastic. A wonderfully ugly display of dissonance, charisma, and confidence, Shawn Stedman’s first collection got us extremely excited for more of his unique psychedelic, garage, alternative, and punk rock recipe. A brilliant listen from start to finish.

Meat in Space opened Ruby Tourmaline with raw old-school acoustic guitars leading to a dreamy anthemic verse with catchy fluid vocals, setting an engaging mood with a psychedelic touch. Meat in Space keeps adding layers and elements as the song moves forward, creating a deeper multi-layered sound with beautiful, smooth layering and mixing that keeps his authentic warm sound intact while allowing the listeners to enjoy an extremely melodic experience as he moves forward with a streaming smooth flow that softly carries the listeners throughout the song’s interesting twists and turns. 

Ruby Tourmaline is a  beautifully connected tune with lovely melodies and an overall dreamy mood that shows Meat in Space’s seasoned writing skills and attention to detail, he managed to produce a deep-sounding, warm mix that perfectly fits the song’s flow and solidly proves his clear vision and direction. Looking forward to more from Meat in Space, keep on rocking. Cheers!

“Outta My Head” is Meat in Space’s second single from the forthcoming EP. In the appealing, organic sonic mess, we witness the ingenuity of the Bay Area-based multi-instrumentalist Shawn Stedman, who is behind the solo project Meat in Space. The guitar, bass, drums, vocals, tape recording, Casio drum machines, synths, mixing, and production are all led by the multi-talented artist.

So far, I’ve referred to the song’s sound as chaotic and messy, which it is, and that’s the beauty of it. The song is well-structured, and every element is well-placed, yet it’s loose, and the overall feel is a sense of distortion. It kind of sounds like a human’s muddled mind, but in a better form, because I bet your head doesn’t have this killer musicality, does it?

Every component of the song complements the message; the gritty, determined vocals, the crispy, energetic riffs, the dynamic, head-banging drums, the dense bassline, and the coherent production all shine together and align to offer a heavy, engaging Garage-Rock flair with a 90’s influence and futuristic execution, making the only idea hovering in your head is “wow, what a distinct sonic bang!”

“I genuinely hope this song gets people out of their head. It’s a message I myself need, and hopefully can be medicine for others.” Stedman stated, and I believe in one way or another, that this is what really happens. Whether it’s the chorus’ passionate “Outta My Head” or the hooking, distorted instrumentation, you get immersed until they shush all the voices and you hear nothing but them in your head.

So if you’re looking for a way out of your head, “Outta My Head” below is what you need.