Share a Vodka Soda with Abby Garcia
Words by Staff Writer: Ingrid Jones | Photos: Jessie Bodnar | Model: Abby Garcia
“Vodka Soda” is the kind of song you play with your windows down, hitting green light after green light as you fly down the backroads of your hometown. It’s the golden hour drive home after a first date, a surge in your stomach of excitement that feels like a caffeine high. Abby’s voice is lilting and honest, the song a hopeful approach to dating that stays with the listener after the song ends.
Songwriter Abby Garcia is an indie artist born and raised in New Jersey with nine singles under her belt and the makings of an EP on her mind. She meets me over FaceTime from the driver seat of her car, fresh off the release of her newest single “Vodka Soda” and looking for a community of enthusiasts looking for music in the same vein as Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, and Gracie Abrams.
Abby first started writing music in college, when she attended Monmouth University studying the business side of the music industry and acted as president of the school’s record label. Although this is when her music journey began, Abby has been singing since the age of 3 and even attended inspirator Hannah Montana’s “Best of Both Worlds” tour. Abby also interned at the Stone Pony music venue, most notable for launching another one of her influences, Bruce Springsteen.
Having no background in songwriting myself, I ask how her process impacts the final result and what approach she usually takes when creating a new song. Abby admits that she doesn’t play any instruments, making it difficult to lay down the chords first, so her music begins instead as a lyrical melody. “I just start singing a song as if it’s something I’ve heard before,” Abby says, “And then it begins to fall in place in my brain. I start to mess around with the lyrics next, and the song title always comes last.”
Abby’s lyrics have been a solo process for her up until this point, marking “Vodka Soda” as her first collaboration with fellow indie songwriter Madhavi Devi. The entire process only took the pair about an hour to finish, with Abby coming in with the chorus finished and Madhavi helping to place it in the context of the song.
Together they developed the narrative: the perspective of somebody leaving a date that they’ve become invested in too quickly, already picturing a relationship together based off of just two hours at the bar. “Vodka Soda” implements further collaboration with producer Connor Hanson, who incorporated strings and “downer” chords to underline the happy lyrics with the sad element that will keep it from becoming overly jovial and potentially cringey.
When asked about future music, Abby affirms, “‘Vodka Soda’ was a fun experiment for me. The sound family aligns with my roots (acoustic pop with alternative elements) but what I’m working on for my EP will be a bit moodier and come from a more emotional place.” When asked about her favorite lyric, she responds instantly: “Windows down and you’re the song I’m blasting/Sunset Drive and you’re the air on my skin.”
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Check out Abby Garcia on Instagram and listen to Vodka Soda now on Spotify / Apple Music!