You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love
basics
Oliva once again captures familiar feelings of being young and in love, and all of the emotions, positive and negative, that can come with that phase across the three singles so far “Drop Dead”, “The Cure”, and “Stupid Song.”, with Drop Dead being the album opener. I feel that the singles so far though are the safe options - nothing that really pushed the envelope when the album has other tracks that make it stand out.
Even on my first listen of the album in full, the song “maggots for brains” instantly became my favourite track; the feeling of being rotten and unmotivated when “your person” isn’t around resonates a bit closely. It is immediately followed by “u + me = <3 forever” which 100% would feel at home on an Avril Lavigne album. I realize I made this comparison in my review of GUTS, but I stand by the comparison - I hope Oliva and Avril work together someday, as I feel like they’d make a great pop-punk album.
When the album isn’t expressing the highs of being in love, it is capturing the lows just as strongly. The album pulls you in close with slower songs “Begged” and the closing track “Cigarette Smoke” to remind us that the sadness too, is apart of the experience. These tracks also show that, although some of the more upbeat tracks might hide it with their fun, there is a maturity to what Oliva writes.
The biggest pull on the album comes in the form of The Cure’s Robert Smith’s appearence on “Whats Wrong with Me” - and his influence seeps through in the melody and every verse. The tracks “My Way” and “Expectations” - not skippable songs by any means, but ranking towards the end of the list for me, wear their inspirations on their sleeves. “Expectations” especially reminds me of bands like Men Without Hats and Depeche Mode.
Olivia really pulled this blend of genres together to make an album that is wholly unique, and yet, cohesive. I have listened to this album at minium, 46 times at the time of writing, but I gurantee that number is actually more. I think Oliva still has room to grow, but between GUTS and You Seem Pretty Sad, her growth is noticible and has made for a top album.
overall rating: 9/10
- olivia rodrigo
- label: geffen records
Oliva once again captures familiar feelings of being young and in love, and all of the emotions, positive and negative, that can come with that phase across the three singles so far “Drop Dead”, “The Cure”, and “Stupid Song.”, with Drop Dead being the album opener. I feel that the singles so far though are the safe options - nothing that really pushed the envelope when the album has other tracks that make it stand out.
Even on my first listen of the album in full, the song “maggots for brains” instantly became my favourite track; the feeling of being rotten and unmotivated when “your person” isn’t around resonates a bit closely. It is immediately followed by “u + me = <3 forever” which 100% would feel at home on an Avril Lavigne album. I realize I made this comparison in my review of GUTS, but I stand by the comparison - I hope Oliva and Avril work together someday, as I feel like they’d make a great pop-punk album.
When the album isn’t expressing the highs of being in love, it is capturing the lows just as strongly. The album pulls you in close with slower songs “Begged” and the closing track “Cigarette Smoke” to remind us that the sadness too, is apart of the experience. These tracks also show that, although some of the more upbeat tracks might hide it with their fun, there is a maturity to what Oliva writes.
The biggest pull on the album comes in the form of The Cure’s Robert Smith’s appearence on “Whats Wrong with Me” - and his influence seeps through in the melody and every verse. The tracks “My Way” and “Expectations” - not skippable songs by any means, but ranking towards the end of the list for me, wear their inspirations on their sleeves. “Expectations” especially reminds me of bands like Men Without Hats and Depeche Mode.
Olivia really pulled this blend of genres together to make an album that is wholly unique, and yet, cohesive. I have listened to this album at minium, 46 times at the time of writing, but I gurantee that number is actually more. I think Oliva still has room to grow, but between GUTS and You Seem Pretty Sad, her growth is noticible and has made for a top album.
overall rating: 9/10