Olivia Rodrigo — SOUR Album Review
Since the beginning of 2021, former Disney star Olivia Rodrigo has quickly been thrusted into pop stardom. Largely trampolined by the success of “drivers license,” a somber song addressing her teenage heartbreak and her own personal relationship turmoil. A driver’s license is often seen as a postive achievement during one’s teenage years, a rite of passage, but here Olivia plays with the irony but using it as reminder of a breakup because her lover is no longer with now that she has this license. Olivia sings:
“I got my driver’s license last week
Just like we always talked about
’Cause you were so excited for me
To finally drive up to your house
But today I drove through the suburbs
Crying ’cause you weren’t around”
Olivia didn’t take long to come out with a full length album off of the success of “drivers license,” and it’s not the only song here to talk about the heartbreak she is going through. “traitor” functions similar to “drivers license,” with Olivia bashing her ex-lover for quickly jumping into another relationship over a slow instrumental that builds during the chorus and towards the back half of the song. “1 step forward forward, 3 steps back” interpolates Taylor Swift’s “New Year’s Day” to create another stripped back song reflecting on the toxic traits her ex brought to their relationship.
It’s worth noting Taylor Swift has been a pretty big influence on Olivia Rodrigo, and it shows in their similar pop sensibilities. There’s a certain charm to Olivia’s music that Swift has in some of her music as well, especially on her earlier records. This album also reminds me quite a bit of Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” with its heavy use of stripped back instrumentals and very teenage feel, but with the attitude you would get on a Fiona Apple or Paramore record.
On “good 4 u” Olivia calls her ex a “sociopath” on what is one of the most infectious and well written choruses on the album. This is also one of the most in your face songs on the album, making for a great single as well as a nice change of pace to keep things interesting. The second single released ahead of the album was “deja vu,” another song singing about her ex’s new girlfriend but this time through the scope of déjà vu, a phenomenon in which something someone is currently experiencing feels familiar. On this song déjà vu is a tool used for Olivia to ask if he is having similar experiences in his new relationship to those he experienced with her, a way to both attack him for ~probably~ using the same moves on his new girlfriend but also for Olivia to subtly reminisce on those times they experienced together.
“enough for you” sees Olivia talk about how hard she tried to impress her ex lover and how it was never enough, but there’s a heartwarming passage of lyrics here where Olivia sings:
“ Someday, I’ll be everything to somebody else
And they’ll think that I am so exciting
And you’ll be the one who’s crying”
This is an optimistic point on the album which shows even though Olivia is hurt now, she hasn’t lost all hope on love and believes she will eventually find someone who treats her better and accepts her for who she is.
Some have gone as far as to call this album repetitive, and in a way it is, many of the songs here address the same topic in the same way from the same angle, but all these songs do a good job reinforcing each other. Hearing Olivia express these feelings over and over again ensures the listener walks away from the album knowing that she is hurt. Also worth noting, this album is a short listen at under 35 minutes long, so sure there is room for Olivia to grow in terms of varying subject matter and finding more unique ways to talk about things, this record isn’t long enough for the repetitiveness to truly get annoying here. Heartbreak isn’t the only topic addressed on SOUR though.
The album’s intro, “brutal,” kicks things off with a bang as Olivia takes out her insecurities and frustrations with where she is in life over some of the loudest drums and guitar work on the album. “jealousy, jealousy” goes more into detail about her insecurities of feeling like she’s not good enough and comparing herself to people she sees on social media, which feels like a common problem among today’s youth. Olivia ends the album with “hope ur ok,” reflecting on losing touch with friends from the past but hoping they are still okay wherever they may be currently in life. The song also seems to allude to the LGBTQ+ community and being proud of people for accepting who they are.
In a lot of ways, SOUR functions more like a launch pad for Olivia’s career than a magnum opus, which is the most you can realistically ask for in a debut album. Olivia has the vocals, personality, and a way to communicate her emotions that should serve her well in the world of pop music, but there is definitely room to grow in terms of more interesting songwriting and sharpening her lyrics. It is going to be exciting to watch Olivia Rodrigo continue to mature and grow, both as and artist and a person, and hear what kind of music comes with that growth. SOUR is a great starting point to work with and an incredibly solid album.
Favorite tracks: traitor, deja vu, good 4 u, enough for you, happier, jealousy jealousy, hope ur ok
