By Holly O’Doherty
The release of Olivia Rodrigo’s highly anticipated debut album, SOUR, raises the possibility of the singer becoming a new canonical icon for teenagers. The album, which was released through Geffen Records, follows the contours of a failed romance, with melancholy and mischief featuring throughout.
In 2019, Olivia Rodrigo rose to fame as the lead actress in the Disney+ series ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’. Most recently, she has sent ripples through the music charts with her keen ability to lyrically dramatize her coming of age story. The 18-year-old’s first single ‘driver’s license’ was released in January and was number one on the UK Official Chart. Furthermore, her single ‘déjà vu’ has been optimised for a popular trend on the social media app TikTok.
Strong feelings of teenage angst and heartbreak settle at the core of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album. The opening song, ‘brutal’, effortlessly evokes these feelings with a head-banging tempo, an unapologetic drum track and social anarchical lyrics. For example: “If someone tells me one more time/‘Enjoy your youth,’ I’m gonna cry”.
The teenager revisits pop-punk with the bass-heavy, bass drum driven ‘good 4 u’. In this three-minute blitz, the singer takes control of her heartbreak and expresses her powerful emotions without shame. The track is reminiscent of Paramore and Avril Lavigne in the 00’s and proudly brings seething female rage to the fore.
The song ‘1 step forward, 3 steps back’ opens with a pedalled piano that is similar to Taylor Swift’s final track ‘New Year’s Day’ on her album ‘Reputation.’ Further comparisons have been made between Taylor Swift’s works and Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album. A reoccurring topic is the beautifully tragic and poignant lyrics that are featured in the teenager’s ballads. This has reminded some fans of Taylor Swift’s notoriously delicate song-writing abilities.
Although this album is largely concerned with outward romantic grievances, Olivia Rodrigo takes a moment to consider the inward intricacies of teenage life. The song ‘jealousy, jealousy’ introduces a refreshing perspective on teenage hatred. The slow ballad highlights a battle of self-hatred which stems from comparison that is exacerbated online.
There are 11 songs on the album, with the first half containing ebbs and flows that are punctuated beautifully with ‘brutal’, ‘driver’s license’ and ‘déjà vu’. The latter half of the album lacks this proportionality. It falls into a repetitive nature with back-to-back songs relying upon vocals with simplistic arrangement provided by piano or guitar.
Although the concluding tone of the album does not strictly relate to the topic of heartbreak, it still proves to be successful. The song ‘hope ur ok’ strives to be reflective and contemplative. It contains lyrics which are ambiguously outward seeking that are applicable in numerable situations: “Don’t know if I’ll see you again someday/But if you’re out there, I hope that you’re okay.”
Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album ‘SOUR’ is a culmination of powerful female music artists most memorable qualities. It is a cathartic release of teenage angst and feminist anger with heart-breaking contemplation at points. This unapologetic album solidifies Olivia Rodrigo as a music artist to watch in future years.
