SOUR

*i wrote this some time ago for a different thing, but my opinions are largely the same.*

I’ve been loosely following Olivia Rodrigo’s career since she was on Bizaardvark (the Disney show that did the world a disservice by giving Jake Paul a large platform and allowed him to parlay his time on the channel into one of the most lucrative social media runs we’ll ever see). She was pretty easily the best thing about a show that had no real redeeming qualities about it. Since then, she’s taken on a lead role on High School Musical: The Series, appearing alongside, crucially, Joshua Bassett. The show has received a lot of praise, with the biggest amount of praise going to Rodrigo and Bassett’s chemistry. The chemistry was real, as it appeared that the two were romantically involved for a period, though neither party ever confirmed nor denied the rumors. In the summer of last year, Bassett was spotted with Sabrina Carpenter, and so begins the saga.

Rodrigo released her debut single, “driver’s license” in January 2021. Its release was met with a lot of tears from listeners, who saw their own insecurities in Rodrigo’s lyrics, and the track would debut at #1 on the Hot 100, where it would stay for nearly two months. When I first heard the song, I was indifferent toward it. It had moments I appreciated (the production, the “red lights, stop signs” bridge, and the fact that musically, it doesn’t end on a resolution), but it didn’t quite stick the landing for me. When it was announced that she was putting out her debut album later in the year, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. I figured that listening to it would be a formality and I wouldn’t come away from it with anything more than “yeah, this was fine,” and I’d move on with my life. I was wrong.

The thing that raised my expectations for this album was Rodrigo’s performance on Saturday Night Live. Her performance of “driver’s license” was what it was, but the thing that stuck out was her live rendition of “good 4 u,” one of the standouts from the album. It’s a pop-punk piece that feels reminiscent of Paramore and Avril Lavigne’s best stuff from the 2000s, with catchy songwriting and organic-sounding production. It was at that moment where I realized that “driver’s license” was a Disney-fied song, but her album wasn’t going to be like the other ones we’ve seen from artists who still appear on Disney properties at the time of its release (i.e., the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus pre-2013, and the Selena Gomez and the Scene albums). I was right.

SOUR. Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album was released on May 21, 2021. At its core, it’s a breakup album, but it’s also an exploration of the very real (*cough* sour) emotions a lot of teenagers feel for various reasons during their teenage years. Namely anger, jealousy, insecurity, and loneliness. Across the album, the songwriting is incredible, and the production (handled by Daniel Nigro) is some of the best I’ve heard on a pop album in the last five years. The opening track, “brutal,” is one of the best pop songs you’ll hear all year. It’s about the pitfalls of youth, with lyrics wrapped in insecurity and anxiety that all teenagers feel. Ironically, there’s a line about how she can’t parallel park but her biggest song to date is about getting her driver’s license. The hook is absolutely great and has lived in my head since I first heard it on Friday. Oh yeah, and she dropped an f-bomb. There are f-bombs on three songs on this album, which is unheard of for a person who's actively signed to a Disney contract. Times are changing, I suppose.

“good 4 u” and “jealousy, jealousy” are two more standouts from this album. I already went over “good 4 u,” so I’ll move on to “jealousy, jealousy.” It’s Lorde-Esque lyrically (and vocally at points), and the production is more in the punk-like vein of the opener and “good 4 u.” The hook and bridge are great, and the lyrics are more about her insecurities, especially the Instagram models of the world who so many aspire to be like because of how perfect they seem. Those insecurities exist among teenagers (irrespective of gender) around the world.

The final track I wanted to mention was “hope ur ok.” This one was just… pain. Rodrigo uses the time to remember some friends she once knew and lost contact with, and at the end of each verse, she wishes them well. The first verse is about an LGBTQ boy, the second is about a girl who essentially had to raise her brothers alone due to her parents being awful people and was somehow able to navigate through the world, unlearn the hatred her parents had for her, and go to college. I don’t normally get emotional at music, but this girl who’s barely two months older than me had me in my room remembering all the people I’ve met and either lost contact with or will almost certainly lose contact with as I grow older. Life is a funny thing.

As far as pop debuts go, this is up there with Pure Heroine and Billie Eilish’s debut as one of the best of the last ten years. I’d even be willing to stretch that time frame back another five or ten years. It’s that good. Sure, there are flaws, like the noticeable imperfections of her voice on one or two songs, but I’d argue that those only enhance the record. It’s a brutally honest look at coming of age in 2021, with fantastic songwriting and surprisingly relatable subject matter, and for that, I commend her greatly. I’m a fan now, and I look forward to what the rest of her career has to offer because it’s only up from here.