By Jessica Clifford-Jones | Review Editor
This year Olivia Rodrigo, Disney star and now singer-songwriter, took the world by storm. Her debut single, the power ballad ÔÇÿDrivers LicenseÔÇÖ, was released early in the year and topped the charts upon release.
Despite the strong start, many believed Olivia Rodrigo to be a one-hit wonder and credited her singleÔÇÖs success to the drama it was about, namely her relationship and break-up with her High School Musical co-star Joshua Bassett.
However, Rodrigo swiftly proved them wrong. Her follow-up singles ÔÇÿDeja VuÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿGood 4 UÔÇÖ also broke into the top 10 and achieved critical acclaim, making Rodrigo the first artist to debut their first three singles in the top 10 of the Hot 100 chart. Her album ÔÇÿSourÔÇÖ was released not long after to the great anticipation of many and it did not disappoint.
ÔÇÿSourÔÇÖ is a primarily alt-pop album but it draws inspiration from a variety of genres, from pop-punk and alt-rock to ballads and folk. ItÔÇÖs a Gen Z perspective on the messy emotions of adolescence and all that comes with it, and RodrigoÔÇÖs incredible lyricism and emotive vocals lend itself perfectly to it.
The albumÔÇÖs title, ÔÇÿSourÔÇÖ, refers to the ÔÇÿsourÔÇÖ feelings that teenagers, teen girls in particular, commonly experience but are criticised and mocked for. In an interview Rodrigo explains, ÔÇ£ÔǪ this record talks about emotions that are hard to talk about or aren’t really socially acceptable especially for girls: anger, jealousy, spite, sadness, they’re frowned-upon as bitchy and moaning and complaining or whatever. But I think they’re such valid emotions.” Rodrigo takes inspiration from female artists known for singing about those messy emotions, such as Alanis Morrissette, Taylor Swift, and Lorde, but she brings her own unique twist.
Rodrigo does an excellent job at alternating between slower indie-inspired ballads, upbeat pop songs, and angsty punk tracks (something thatÔÇÖs well reflected in her choice of singles), something Rodrigo set out to do, saying, ÔÇÿI want [Sour] to be super versatile. My dream is to have it be an intersection between mainstream pop, folk music, and alternative pop.ÔÇÖ
The album opens with ÔÇÿBrutalÔÇÖ, an angry insecure banger that incorporates pop-punk and alt-rock; itÔÇÖs simultaneously playfully tongue-in-cheek and sharply sincere, a balance that Rodrigo is a pro at. She is self-aware but still authentic and raw, alternating between light-hearted and poignant. The chorus ends on a biting, Valley Girl drawl singing, ÔÇ£God, itÔÇÖs brutal out hereÔÇØ, a line that you can almost hear the eye-roll and scowl in.
Rodrigo does angsty and alternative well, inspired by 90s rock and punk acts, her cutting lyrics and emotive vocals working perfectly with the genre. The songs like this are some of my favourites on the album. ÔÇÿJealousy, JealousyÔÇÖ is an upbeat and funky alt-rock track about social media and how it feeds into insecurity; ÔÇÿGood 4 UÔÇÖ is a wrathful storm of bass and drums that brings back memories of early 2000s emo and grunge (unsurprising given the song takes inspiration from ParamoreÔÇÖs hit ÔÇÿMisery BusinessÔÇÖ).
Rodrigo emulates sad indie girl just as well as she does angsty emo punk, as she displayed in her first single ÔÇÿDrivers LicenseÔÇÖ, which is a power ballad about heartbreak and longing. It uses the sound effects of a carÔÇÖs ÔÇÿdoor ajarÔÇÖ chime ingeniously as a fading transition into the songÔÇÖs piano key and itÔÇÖs crescendo followed by RodrigoÔÇÖs impressive belt is breath-taking. The other songs that follow the indie pop and ballad themes are similarly gorgeous, such as the folky ÔÇÿFavorite CrimeÔÇÖ and the slow acoustic song ÔÇÿTraitorÔÇÖ that culminates into a vocally stunning bridge.
However, my main criticism is that the slower indie-inspired songs verge towards dominating the album, the genre balance leaning more in their favour. Some have criticised them for being too similar and while I donÔÇÖt think thatÔÇÖs necessarily true, I do think that so many of them so close together does render them dull (though naturally this is a matter of taste).
The only song on the album that IÔÇÖm not a fan of is the closing track ÔÇÿHope Ur OKÔÇÖ, which reminisces about old friends who are struggling and wishing them well. While a sweet song, it borders on saccharine and cheesy, and also feels very out of place on the album. The rest of ÔÇÿSourÔÇÖ is unapologetically about RodrigoÔÇÖs teenage angst and obsessive heartbreak over her recent breakup and that refusal to be ashamed of her intense emotions is refreshing to see, especially from a teen girl. ÔÇÿHope Ur OKÔÇÖ is a deviation from that theme that feels almost like a cop-out.
However, ÔÇÿSourÔÇÖ overall is a phenomenal album and an extraordinary debut from a young artist; her musical versatility, evocative lyricism, and unashamed raw emotion is a wonder to behold. IÔÇÖm waiting in excited anticipation to see what Olivia Rodrigo does next.┬á
