When you listen to “Space Cowboy,” a scene unfolds before you: night, ocean, surfing under the moonlight in Encinitas. Maybe a few times, some psychedelics were involved—how else do you explain the stars dancing and sparking right before your eyes? But it’s not about being “on a trip,” as the guys would say—it’s about getting into the rhythm. Every wave is a beat, and every splash of water is a new funky riff. “Space Cowboy” by The Ram isn’t pretending to be anything it’s not. It’s a funky jam that feels tailor-made for nights when you want to escape, hit the waves, and ride under the moon. The Ram has been playing this track all summer, and it’s quickly become a favorite among the locals, especially those who know the feeling of surfing Encinitas after dark.

I’ve never surfed at night, but “Space Cowboy” makes me feel like I have. The darkness, the rhythmic crashing of the waves—it’s all so meditative, like you’re floating in another dimension. The Ram nailed that feeling, capturing the strange beauty of being out there, disconnected from everything but the ocean and the sky. You get the sense that surfing at night isn’t just about catching waves. It’s about the experience of being out there, under the stars, with the world fading behind you.

And how can you not think that the very idea of night surfing is like stepping into outer space? You’re riding the waves like an astronaut among the stars, where every movement could be your last. But it’s that sense of life’s fragility that gives you the freedom you chase. The funky jam in the track underscores this freedom, its sounds lighting up the darkness like pulsating stars.

The Ram’s “Space Cowboy” offers a whole bundle of additional content that feels like a full experience. You’ve got the live version stretched out to eight minutes — a pure pleasure of improvisation. You can hear the musicians playing at their own pace, with no need to conform to any rules. It’s like they’ve let everything go and started playing for the sheer fun of it.

The acoustic version stands out in its own way. It creates a different kind of vibe, almost forcing you to turn off the world and just listen. This single echoes The Ram’s other track, “Saturday Night,” but with fewer city lights and more starry skies. The music feels like the soundtrack to a night walk, where there’s no rush — you just keep moving, watching as the universe unfolds before you.

The instrumental version brings yet another side to the single, letting you hear every detail. Without the vocals, the space between the sounds becomes even more palpable. It’s like watching the melody take shape on its own, allowing you to absorb it like morning dew at dawn. The simplicity of this version lies in its unfiltered beauty, where each instrument has its own life, yet they’re all connected in harmony.

When you listen to The Ram, you immediately feel like everything’s in its right place. This isn’t one of those situations where the artist is trying to squeeze every drop out of their songs to impress someone or drown out the silence with noise. No, it’s different here — The Ram makes music for those who know how to pause and just be in the moment. And there’s a certain natural simplicity in that.

You hit play on their new single “Space Cowboy,” and from the first notes, it’s clear — no one’s rushing you. There’s no aim to hammer the rhythm into your head, no pretense of being something bigger than a melody. You’re just listening to a song that becomes your companion for the next four minutes. Or maybe the eight-minute live version? Go ahead, why compress time when you can stretch it out? The Ram knows that music isn’t about filling every pause — it’s about knowing when to give those pauses the right to exist. Space — that’s what matters in these tracks.

And the most fascinating part? He keeps doing this, again and again. “Space Cowboy” unfolds like a story, and if you’re ready to slow down, it pulls you in completely. The acoustic version, the instrumental — all of these versions have something in common: an invitation to take your time.

That’s when it hits you — The Ram does this because he simply enjoys the process. You can feel it. There’s no sense that anyone’s trying to meet expectations or fit into a genre. He exists beyond those boundaries. This is music for people who want to chill out, relax, and just be.

And honestly, when you come across an artist like The Ram, you realize he’s just doing his thing because he loves it. He doesn’t need to prove anything, he’s not fighting for attention. It’s music that speaks for itself, and that’s where its strength lies. The Ram keeps moving forward on his journey, and as long as he’s on that path, all we can do is follow along, slowing down and soaking in the moments he generously creates for his listeners.

*This review was made possible by SubmitHub