Nashville is famous for its country music, but a new wave of electronic artists is proving the city’s underground is far more diverse than its “Music City” moniker usually suggests. At the forefront of this movement is obee, a 28-year-old independent artist whose latest EP, SODA, manages to bottle the chaotic energy of the digital age into high-octane, lyric-driven hyperpop.
Drawing influence from the heavyweights of his youth (think Daft Punk, The Glitch Mob, and Deadmau5), obee is creating something more than just tracks for the club, but a sonic survival guide for the modern era.
The Flavors of “SODA”
The EP’s title is a literal metaphor for its contents as each track represents a different flavor of the human experience. While the production is glossy and ear candy on the surface, the lyrical themes dive into the grit of mental health, economic pressure, and the suffocating nature of information overload.
The EP’s tracklist functions as a curated journey through the modern psyche, beginning with “CURRENCY,” a biting commentary on the “sickness of the chase” and our increasingly obsessive relationship with consumerism. This shifts into the ethereal atmosphere of “PLACES,” which dives deep into the subconscious to examine how pervasive advertisements and rigid social boxes dictate our daily lives. The energy peaks with “BLOODRUSHBABY,” a high-octane response to sensory overstimulation that blurs the lines between natural thrills and artificial addiction. Finally, the project rounds out with “HIGHLIGHTS 2.0,” a French-house-inspired sequel that pays homage to his roots while exploring the delicate balance between grounded reality and healthy delusion.
Perhaps most impressive is the level of control obee maintains over his craft. In an industry often dominated by massive production teams, obee remains a true auteur. He writes, sings, records, produces, mixes, and masters every single track. Even the visual identity and branding are handled personally, with the occasional collaboration of his girlfriend.
This self-reliance ensures the music maintains its emotional integrity, allowing for a direct and uncompromised connection between the artist’s vision and the final sound. As obee puts it:
“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.”
While obee’s sound is global, his roots are firmly planted in the growing dance underground of Nashville. He views his music as a form of escapism, a way for listeners to feel “heard and related to” in an increasingly passive-aggressive social climate. Whether you’re dissecting the samples or just losing yourself on the dance floor, the goal is liberation. As the artist reminds us, even in an oppressive economy and a world of digital noise, the party never ends.
Listen to “SODA” out now on all platforms.
