Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, marks a departure
from the singer-songwriter’s signature Avril-Lavigne-inspired pop-punk approach and single-word album-titling-conventions. Instead, Rodrigo delivers a concept album that traces the rose-tinted bloom of love through to the bitter post-breakup meditations of heartbreak and its aftermath.
The early tracks on the album are lovelorn and manic, frequently portraying love as comforting yet uneasy, blurring the line between devotion and obsession. While ‘stupid song’ feels innocent and optimistic in its depiction of a burgeoning relationship, ‘maggots for brains’ presents that intensity in a darker light; infatuation seems to develop towards something obsessive and unhealthy.
As a casual follower of Rodrigo’s career, this album has blown me away with her progression as a songwriter. While her previous record clearly showcased a talent for crafting sharp, witty pop songs, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love feels like a significant step forward; this album is more cohesive, ambitious and confident in its prose. However, this cohesion can sometimes be to its detriment— on early listens I felt as if some songs, particularly in the first half, felt somewhat interchangeable, with each track blurring into the next without clear enough identities of their own.
This issue fades as the album progresses, and Rodrigo’s evolution is evident in the album’s latter half, which chronicles the decline and eventual end of the relationship that shapes the record’s narrative. ‘begged’ expertly captures the yearning for a love that no longer feels fulfilling, and ‘what’s wrong with me’ delivers a heart wrenching moment of self-reflection, aided by the iconic, angsty and always poignant guest vocals of The Cure frontman Robert Smith. Smith’s influence in particular is found all over this record, from its hypnotic driving basslines to its breezy and shimmering guitar work. The album’s centrepiece and undeniable high point is the aptly-named track ‘the cure.’ Beginning as a delicate understated ballad of insecurity, the song crescendos into a stunning emotional climax and plea for love — a perfect encapsulation of the album’s themes of longing and heartbreak.
you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is intelligent, mature, and occasionally a very hard listen. While earlier albums SOUR and GUTS captured heartbreak in more explosive and youthful bursts, Rodrigo allows these songs to navigate themes of uncertainty, grief and love with much greater patience and emotional complexity. She demonstrates a clear willingness to show the messy realities behind what love can be like, preferring to present the relationship with nuance and intricacy, rather than simply villainising one side or the other. The album clearly depicts an artist maturing with remarkable ease as her career progresses, and her best work may still be yet to come.
“Olivia Rodrigo – The O2 – Wednesday 15th May 2024” by Raph_PH is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
