obee Bottles Chaos, Addiction, and Euphoria on “SODA”

obee isn’t trying to fit into electronic music right now, and honestly, that’s exactly why SODA hits as hard as it does.

Let’s be real for a second. A lot of dance and hyperpop has started to feel like empty calories. Big drops, glossy hooks, zero substance. SODA flips that on its head immediately. This project actually has something to say, and more importantly, it knows how to make you feel it without killing the vibe.

Built as a concept where each track acts like a different “flavor,” SODA could’ve easily turned gimmicky. It doesn’t. Instead, it becomes a full-on emotional spiral disguised as a club record. The production is loud, chaotic, euphoric, sometimes overwhelming, but always intentional. You can hear the DNA of Daft Punk and deadmau5 in the structure, but obee isn’t cosplaying nostalgia. He’s using it as a launchpad.

“CURRENCY” is where things start to get uncomfortable in the best way. It taps into that obsessive, borderline toxic relationship people have with money right now. The chase, the dopamine, the crash. It’s not subtle, and it shouldn’t be. That’s the point.

“PLACES” leans more introspective, cutting into the constant noise of being told how to live, what to want, who to be. It feels like scrolling your life away at 3AM and suddenly realizing none of it is actually yours. The production floats, but the message lands heavily.

Then there’s “BLOODRUSHBABY,” which is basically sensory overload turned into a song. It’s chaotic, addictive, and self-aware enough to call itself out while still feeding into the rush. It’s one of the strongest moments on the project because it doesn’t pretend to be above the problem. It lives in it.

“HIGHLIGHTS 2.0” pulls things back just enough to breathe, tapping into French house nostalgia while digging into something deeper. Memory versus reality. Coping versus clarity. It’s easily one of the most layered tracks here, and it proves obee isn’t just chasing energy, he’s building worlds.

What makes SODA actually stick is the tension. The darker undertones never fully disappear, even when the production explodes into something euphoric. That push and pull is the entire point. It mirrors exactly what life feels like right now. Overstimulated, uncertain, chasing highs while quietly dealing with the lows.

And that’s where obee separates himself. This isn’t escapism that ignores reality. It’s escapism that understands it. “I hope people feel free… I hope it moves people in some way,” obee says. You can hear that intention all over this project. Not in a preachy way, not in a forced “message,” but in the way these songs let you sit in your own chaos without judging it.

SODA balances escapism with some pretty heavy themes like money, identity, and overstimulation. Do you see your music more as an escape from reality or a way to process it?

I see it as both. I think both the listener and the artist look to music for escapism - it’s always been that way. Some sort of gateway to focus on different things, to dream, to give energy, to deal with current issues. This record was very much a healing process for me, and helped me process a lot of what I see, deal with, and think about daily. It’s also a dance record and very feel-good in its sound, and was a total escape for me during stressful moments. I wrote it with the intent to be listened to with different lenses, so it works as a record that just sounds good and feels good, and also something that can be dove into, and dissected in its lyrics and samples. I think the most powerful music does that.

“CURRENCY” taps into that almost addictive relationship people have with money right now. What made you want to confront that cycle instead of just ignoring it like most dance records do?

Haha YES - this question. This song’s semi-ironic because music’s a business, and at the end of the day, we’re pushing a product that sells. Usually, music that talks about boatloads of money is what sells and is what artists write about. Don’t get me wrong, I love making money. I just wanted to write about something that I think is on the back burner for a lot of people, even the ones who make loads of money. I think deep down we all get a little sick of the chase, and time and time come back to speaking out about truer reasons of living life. A lot of this record is written about the roots of stress, something I think is kind of an issue right now, and how it’s sort of led to a mentally ill capitalistic society where everyone’s really overzealous and driven by financial success. I love competition, and I think a lot of people do as well. I just think we glorify making money because we’ve given into the cycle a little bit, and I wanted to write something that counters that. I think if you asked a lot of kids, they’d shamelessly agree. I think if you asked a lot of adults, they’d counter out of defense. I also think a lot of pop and hip hop records write about this, so I wanted this song to sound like something you’d hear on the radio everywhere; it’s super upbeat. Oh, and I still get McDonald’s - a McDouble with ketchup and a big ahh Coke.

A lot of your sound pulls from artists like Daft Punk and deadmau5, but it doesn’t feel nostalgic; it feels current. How do you keep inspiration from turning into imitation?

Mmm - this is a constant battle. I mean, all art is pretty much an iteration of something else created before it. I think there’s a difference between paying homage and being a copycat completely. Not going to lie, for the start of my career, I was making music that sounded exactly like other people. I feel like it wasn’t until the last two years that I found my sound. With that said, certain styles and genres call for that, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. So many people still try to make music that sounds like Michael Jackson. For me, what’s worked is being cognizant of where my heart and mind are before I start something - so I’m not really thinking about any other artists or musicians. From there, I can sort of escape to a new ether, and then I let go. I think it’s something that takes practice. A lot of my lyrics on this record are about personal experience, things that I think a lot of people can relate to for sure, but also things that are really subject to me and my life and what I’ve been through. I think no matter what, when people listen to music, they naturally compare. Oh, this sounds like this artist, or this band, or something from this era. It’s just a natural phenomenon. When I was making this record, I knew I didn’t want to sound like anyone else. I had genres I wanted to pay homage to, but I had a lot in me that needed to get out, and that’s sort of what was driving the wheel behind SODA.

“BLOODRUSHBABY” feels like controlled chaos. When you’re making something that intense, how do you know when to push it further versus when to pull it back?

For sure - I like this question because the production on this one is pretty straightforward and simple; deep bass, pads, and drums. Ironically, this was the hardest one to mix and master… I digress. This one’s about myself, but also a reflection of everyone alive today. How we naturally seek thrills, rushes, and have addictions to something. If it’s not a substance, it’s love, it’s talking, it’s working out, it’s reading, writing, sex, making money - serotonin. Whether people admit it or not, it’s true. I just think there are different levels to it for people. I’ve struggled with substance abuse in the past; I’m sober besides nicotine and occasional alcohol now, but yeah, this is about that, and being a natural thrill seeker. I love heights, and have hit rock bottom so many times before, that even the lows kind of get me giddy a bit, because I know the process of pulling myself out of it so well. I tried not to cuss on this record and to really make it about what the waves of those rushes are like for me. How something’s really awesome for one second, then total hell the next. Then you pull yourself out and feel like a god, and your ego takes over. Then the next moment, you're looking for something else to get a rush on. Even when we find a balance and a constant, which I think is the goal, I think there’s still that process of give and take within that constant, if that makes sense. Obviously, not everyone has dealt with substance abuse, but I think everyone deals with this. This was sort of me admitting this part of me and freeing it through a song. I’ve come to be really conscious of my health and well-being, as much as I can, and I think that’s all we can really do. Life’s so awesome and filled with things that give us these surges, you have to give in a little and let yourself live. In the words of Mac Miller, “Oh, it’s not sad, baby!”

You said you hope this project helps people feel free and break out of their shells. What does “freedom” actually look like for you right now, outside of the music?

Man, hit me where it hurts! I mean, for me, it’s finding joy in the little things and being able to do what I do with no constraints. Spending time with my girlfriend is a big one - staying up late goofing off and having deep conversations, spilling tea and jabbering. Gaming, giving myself time to relax, and smoking with my girlfriend in Mario Kart. Cooking really good food and trying new foods, taking time to skateboard, going to shows, walking around the apartment naked, wearing the clothes I want to wear, being adventurous, getting boba when I shouldn’t be spending money, things like that. Just freedom of the mind and heart is a big one, so I guess just doing as much as I can preserve that magic while spreading it.