Olivia Rodrigo released her third studio album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” June 19, debuting a fresh, exploratory musical ambience and proving she’s much more than just “pretty sad.”
The album is split into two parts, with the first half exploring the breathless sensation of being in love and the second half delving into the gut-wrenching experience of realizing love is not the cure to your problems.
Opening with the first single released for the album, “drop dead” embodies lust and infatuation with a new love interest. Following suit, the third single, “stupid song,” is an unrestrained ballad expanding on the feeling of overwhelming infatuation with someone you love.
Rodrigo desperately sings, “I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake / I want you more than any stupid song could ever say,” recklessly proclaiming her love and throwing caution to the wind. Throughout the first half of the album, the singer drops subtle clues about how the relationship allegedly ended between her and Louis Partridge, who fans speculate the album is about.
The traditional ballad, “honeybee,” conveys a more vulnerable sensation as Rodrigo confesses her anxieties about love, singing, “And I hope I never see / What your face looks like going / A face that I swear I could / Go my whole life knowing.” Despite the beautifully wedding-esque acoustics, the lyrical underlying fears of the track make it feel like a storm cloud is forebodingly following the bride down the aisle.
The tracks “maggots for brains” and “my way” feature a more alternative production by producer Dan Nigro. Both of the tracks open with funky synths — which could be seen as jumpscares following her devastating ballads — and feel reminiscent of Rodrigo’s “SOUR” and “GUTS” eras.
The first half of the album successfully establishes the atmosphere of loving someone so much that it makes you sick while still subtly dropping innuendos that make the listener adopt a feeling of impending doom. This dreadful anticipation begins to come into fruition as listeners reach track eight, and the second single of the album, “the cure.”
“the cure” acts as the thesis statement of the entire record, exploring the vulnerabilities of realizing that some problems are your own to solve, and love is not “the cure” to everything. With “the cure,” the second “pretty sad” side of the album begins.
Sharing a name with the band The Cure, Rodrigo bears her first feature ever with the band’s lead singer, Robert Smith, on the track “what’s wrong with me.” Many songs on the album feel reminiscent of tracks like “Friday I’m In Love” by The Cure, with “Just Like Heaven” even getting a shoutout in “drop dead” when Rodrigo sings, “You know all the words to ‘Just Like Heaven’ / And I know why he wrote them / Now that you’re standing right here.”
The 11th track, “less,” explores the deeper premonition of “the cure,” where her partner realizes the pain she’s going through and loves her so much that he chooses to let her go. Rodrigo belts, “If loving me means letting go / And wishing me the best / Well then, I guess / I wish, I wish, I wish / You loved me less.”
If “less” wasn’t heartbreaking enough, “cigarette smoke,” rolling in at a whopping five minutes and 41 seconds, displays regret and resentment toward her experiences in love. She writes, “Give me back my time / And I will give you back your heart / I thought that we played the perfect couple / Until you didn’t want the part.”
Sandwiched as a sonic juxtaposition between the heartbreakingly vulnerable tracks “less” and “cigarette smoke,” “expectations” brings a fresh and experimental hyper pop soundscape to Rodrigo’s repertoire. Reminiscent of ‘80s new wave rock like The Cure, Rodrigo and Nigro establish a modern yet inspired feel, straying away from her signature pop punk aesthetic in exchange for a more indie rock sound.
With the context of the heart-wrenching second half of the record, listeners realize that much of Rodrigo’s infatuation with her partner was lust and emotional dependency disguised as love. No matter how perfect the pair seemed, ultimately, the lows outweighed the highs.
Reflecting the album cover, Rodrigo’s love was like swinging on a swing, chasing the highest of highs, yet always falling right back down when you reach the peak. For Rodrigo, though, her career manages to reach new heights with each new album. As listeners brace for her to fall, she continues to soar higher and find a new way to bring fresh, alternative and experimental sounds to the music industry.
