Review Summary: A generational star on the rise
Not many artists can create a touring moment that feels like it will be memorable for the rest of your life. Being at Primavera Sound festival, watching Olivia Rodrigo’s set (announced only hours beforehand), and seeing her announce Robert Smith as a surprise duet partner to debut “What’s Wrong With Me” live… was
that iconic moment. For me, I don’t know if it will ever be topped.
It was watching that performance that I knew that Olivia’s third album,
You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love, would be something special. She was so confident on stage, you could tell there was a drive to improve her vocals, and she was incredibly reverent of her 80s influences like The Cure. Thankfully, all of those traits managed to translate from her timeless live show into a fantastic record, released just a week later.
I loved
GUTS and maintain that Olivia already had star quality and songwriting skills ahead of her peers, and thankfully she continues her hot streak on
Girl So In Love, now with a backdrop of 80s new wave production instead of 90s pop punk. Side A’s “Drop Dead”, “Maggots For Brains” are “U + Me = Heart” are a trio of stellar pop songs, with the latter having probably the most anthemic chorus she’s ever written. It’s pure euphoria, made even more special by being the first time Olivia’s sang about being so jubilantly in love.
Side B is more restrained, but features the best ballads of her career; “Purple”, “The Cure” and the aforementioned “What’s Wrong With Me”. The increased maturity in her lyricism is notable, but doesn’t come at the expense of relatability, as she still beautifully captures the feelings of post-teenage crushes and heartbreak (especially on the crushing “Less”). Given everything she’s accomplished it’s hard to believe she’s only 23, but that just means that her best work might actually still be to come – how exciting.
