Producer, songwriter and ultra-talented artist lil soda boi never stops working. Dropping singles all throughout the first half of 2018, soda began to prepare his fans for a brand new album coming August 3, 2018, entitled CRY 4 HELP. However, the night before CRY 4 HELP released, soda announced that he would be dropping an EP entitled hills and highways the same day as CRY 4 HELP. Citing a nervous breakdown, soda proclaimed that “life is too short not to have fun with what I do for a living, so I’m uploading an additional album.” He then promised that it would have the same love and attention that CRY 4 HELP received, and with its undeniable flexibility, his promise lived up to the expectations.
The EP begins with the track “pieces of the falling sky”, featuring a classic soda boi production intact with an infused guitar melody over trap drums, alongside sodas premiere crooning. The track is reminiscent of soda bois most infamous project from me, with love, and fades nicely into the sub bass driven “smokin on pot”.
While “oh lord” is one of the shining moments on hills and highways, it proves that soda can do exponentially more than anyone with so little. While the beat is infectiously smooth, soda provides the heart of the song quietly singing about how he needs his lover back in his bed.
And I can’t take the pressure// That’s building in my head// And I just wish I could see you// Next to me up in bed
Producing every song on hills and highways, each track has its own distinctive feel and vibe. Ultimately, soda is able to take his own production to the next level with his signature, robotic melodies. The song “save you some” is a great example of everything about soda, even if its run time is under a minute. With an ambient melody and hard hitting meshed 808s, soda sings throughout asking aloud why his love has pushed him away:
I don’t even wanna go// Why’d you have to make me go// Do you really wanna know// What i do when I’m alone
The last track, “star struck”, is perhaps the best track to show to any newly or originally acquainted soda fans. While it’s no secret that the acoustic guitar is sodas best friend, they both gracefully run this song into a melodic masterpiece. Soda delivers a heartfelt ending to the project, singing:
Star struck, star struck// Girl you look like the shooting star// Girl I’m star struck, star struck// Girl you look like the shooting star
The collection of songs on hills and highways highlights all of the strengths that lil soda boi continues to deliver. Whether it’s his lyrical ability or his plethora of producing skills, soda boi is poised to become an artist with not only the talent and work ethic to rise above the underground, but achieve artistic longevity.