Atwood Magazine’s writers dive into Olivia Rodrigo’s bruised, mature, and meticulously crafted third album ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,’ a brilliantly conflicted portrait of romance as both rush and reckoning – unpacking its split-sided concept, Rodrigo’s emotionally charged lyricism, and the anxieties that refuse to disappear inside devotion.

Featured here are Atwood writers Anu Sarode, Brianna Kline, Isabella Appell, Jack Batt, James Crowley, Josh Weiner, and Roisin Teeling!

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To start, what is your relationship with Olivia Rodrigo’s music?

Isabella: Olivia Rodrigo’s music has been woven into every stage of my life: driving around my neighborhood during my first high school breakup, sitting alone in my college hallway because I struggled to make friends freshman year, and now, four years later, stepping into post-grad life, turning on my “Olivia Rodrigo mix” every time I get on the train for work.

Jack: I’ve been a fan of hers since the start. I remember loving “drivers license” on first listen, and then being even more impressed by her follow-up single (“deja vu.”) I will admit that I felt out of place with her target audience when SOUR came out, but when she released “vampire,” I was blown away and totally sold. One of my favorite things about Olivia Rodrigo is that her vocals are dripping with personality. Her authenticity and commitment to artistry truly shines through. In pop, it’s rare that you can really feel that Olivia and anyone else in the room were having a great time creating the music. While I’m drawn to her rockier music, I will say that even her ballads come across as super sincere.

James: I really got hooked when she started leaning more into her pop-punk and indie rock-inspired sounds. Of course, I had enjoyed “drivers license,” but “good 4 u” and “brutal” made me a fan. GUTS also has a lot of songs that have found their ways into my running playlist too. If you need a boost during a 10-mile run, I highly recommend “love is embarrassing.”

Josh: I don’t have a particularly original “how I discovered Olivia Rodrigo” story, but like many others (including some in this roundtable, it seems), I started listening to her about five years ago when the single, “drivers license,” and the accompanying album, SOUR, were released. I could tell she was talented and fun to listen to, so I stayed onboard for the follow-up album, GUTS, and certainly saw every reason to stay tuned in for her third offering, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.

Brianna: I became a real fan of Olivia Rodrigo when I heard her lean into the more pop-punk sounds during her GUTS run. I appreciated her moments in that teenage daze that’s birthed in sweet heartbreaking ballads during SOUR, but it took a moment for me to really appreciate her artistry because at the time I just felt a little bit aged out which I suppose is just a side effect of being too closely aligned in age with her. Being about the same age as her, if not a little bit older than her, meant that I was living some of the scenarios she was writing about at the same time, and so by the time her first album came out, I felt demographically irrelevant. However, that’s not to say that those first releases from her are not incredible. That said, I would say that once I saw her true appreciation for legacy acts like The Cure and Talking Heads, and the influence of them and No Doubt, I really came to respect her and with you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, I am all in with Olivia. She has a fan in me for sure.

Anu: As I’m sure is the case for a lot of people, her music has been ambiently floating around my life for a few years – snatches caught on the radio, concert clips on social media. Something about her vibe has always sat well with me. She remains so fucking cool as she plumbing the depths of the perils of being a young adult. It’s always neat when a former Disney kid can shake off their pixie dust and very gracefully replace it with cigarette ash.

Roisin: Mine started the way I imagine a lot of people did, with “drivers license” on the radio. But it was GUTS where I really felt connected to her. It was always the softer songs where she’s strongest as that’s where the writing gets specific enough to actually hurt. I’ll admit there was a stretch where “good 4 u” was inescapable, blaring out of every shop and club I walked into, and I got a bit tired of her for it. But going back into “lacy” and “get him back!” it reminded me how warm she can be even when the song is technically about being furious at someone. That’s a hard trick to pull off.

What are your initial impressions and reactions to you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love?

Isabella: I’ll admit the new album caught me off guard at first – it’s a lot more punk rock than what Olivia usually goes for, but it’s right in my wheelhouse, so I was pleasantly surprised. The lyrics are incredibly sharp and detailed, which actually worked against me early on – I found myself overanalyzing every song instead of just sitting back and enjoying the melodies. I saw this at first with Drop Dead but the lyrics across all hit very close to home right now, and after a few more listens, I’ve completely fallen for it.

Jack: I’m obsessed with the album and I think it’s her best work to date by far! It is honestly remarkable seeing Olivia continue to raise the bar. I was such a huge fan of GUTS, and I was cautiously optimistic about this one because I just couldn’t see her surpassing that record, but she did. I think her ballads are a lot more mature and refined on this record than they were on the last few. Apparently, she took some college writing classes in between records, and that definitely shines through. There are so many fun moments of personality that could only happen when the goal was to make music that she (and Dan Nigro) enjoyed. I will say, I expected the “girl so in love” side of the album to be happier than it is. I actually think it’s equally if not more devastating than the B-side. Nearly every song has this haunting undertone of the fact that something is looming in the distance. She’s not seeing clearly, and one of my first impressions was that reality seeps through the cracks in some moments on each song. On “stupid song,” the second track on the record, she sings, “I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake,” and I think that sums up the atmosphere of the A-side, that she is barreling towards an inevitable disaster. I was very impressed by the nuance on both sides and how Olivia really stuck to the concept of this album. When she’d initially announced the tracklist with the two separate sides, I was a bit worried that it was just a clever way to package love and breakup songs together in one album, but it doesn’t feel disjointed like that at all. It’s almost a relief when she gets to the B side, because she has finally returned her attention to herself.

James: I’m always immediately skeptical when a pop album has seemingly universal praise (even if it’s an artist that I like), but I’ve been really surprised at how much I like you seem pretty sad… I suppose that shouldn’t be a surprise, because I’ve enjoyed the previous albums. It’s still touching on a lot of those alt-rock sensibilities with the crispness that you’d expect an album from the current biggest popstar in the world to have. My fiancée and I have been talking about adding “u + me= <3” to our wedding playlist. I also love that she made an album about how love doesn’t fix all of your problems. I’m a big fan of the realistic love album, and the fact that she’s able to poetically show falling head over heels but not being able to escape the early 20s anxieties like in “stupid song,” is so true to life.

Josh: I’m glad that everyone else in the roundtable is enthusiastic about you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. I’ll echo their praise– this is a third straight awesome album by Olivia Rodrigo and I’m glad to see her keep the consistency and innovation going strong. As I type this, I’m currently on my third time listening to the record all the way through, and it’s working its magic on me just as much as it did the first two times.

Brianna: This album is outstanding, simple as that. Conceptually, though it’s not exactly a concept album, it is so cleverly and artfully done. The way it tracks all the stages of a relationship and is split almost perfectly between being love songs, and then heartbreak songs mimicking the split in the title, chefs kiss. Well done, Olivia. And the overall tinge of sadness is undoubtedly poetic. I’ve been hard pressed to play anything other than this album recently because it is just so well produced and constructed on all levels from instrumentation to lyricism, it hits on all levels. It is tender and biting in all the right places, and reflective of the relatable growths and pitfalls that so many 20-something-year-olds go through.

Anu: It felt like a concept album to me the first time I took it in. She really hits you over the head with the post-punk slash New Wave homage, from the multiple references in lyric and track title to The Cure, lyrical odes to the Modern English, synth odes to New Order. Coincidentally, I’ve been big into English post-punk as of late, so it was kind of the perfect in for me.

Roisin: I went in braced for something slow and hazy, a bit more “deja vu” than anything else because of “drop dead” and “the cure,” and I was relieved when that wasn’t the only sound I got on the album. Her soft vulnerability returns which she’s always done well, but pointed at feelings I think a lot of us that are her age might be sitting with right now. I’d already heard “the cure” everywhere online, and I’d seen the Primavera performance of “what’s wrong with me” with Robert Smith, which felt like such a clever, considered move on her part. But on first listen those songs felt a little slow, and for me a little heavy which I need to be in the right mood for. Once I was, though, it really clicked, and giving the album a deep listen paid off. This is a car album or shower album – the kind you belt.

How does this album compare to 2023’s GUTS – what are the most striking similarities or differences?

Isabella: I’ll admit the new album caught me off guard at first – it’s a lot more punk rock than what Olivia usually goes for, but it’s right in my wheelhouse, so I was pleasantly surprised. The lyrics are incredibly sharp and detailed, which actually worked against me early on – I found myself overanalyzing every song instead of just sitting back and enjoying the melodies. I saw this at first with “Drop Dead,” but the lyrics across all hit very close to home right now, and after a few more listens, I’ve completely fallen for it.

The one struggle I have with Olivia’s music – which a lot of artists deal with when putting albums together – is that you end up with two or three tracks that significantly outshine the rest. I find that’s true here too. The style on GUTS was also more upbeat overall, and while I appreciate her including a mix of styles on this one, I’m always just drawn more to the rock songs.

Jack: I wasn’t expecting such a sonic turn on this album, but I think it was for the best! I was a huge fan of GUTS, which really cemented my feelings on Olivia being in a completely different realm than her peers. GUTS was such a fun record, and I think that one was a bit more cheeky and had more attitude than this one. It definitely drew a lot of inspiration from pop punk and rock, and she went almost completely away from that on the new album in favor of 80s and 90s rock and new wave. “pretty isn’t pretty” is the closest thing on GUTS to the new material, and it was also one of my favorites, so I’m really stoked with the direction she went in.

James: Where I felt that GUTS would occasionally lean more into a spunky, reckless tone, you seem pretty sad… makes Olivia seem a little more put together. In terms of the sonic textures, it feels like she leaned more into new wave than alt-rock, without totally abandoning her sensibilities. It’s a little more jangle-pop rather than pop-punk. This may be reductive, because I don’t really listen to Devo, but a lot of songs on this album make me think of Devo.

Josh: I haven’t listened to GUTS all the way through in a while, so I’m not really ready to make the most astute comparison between it and you seem pretty sad… off the bat. But everyone else in the roundtable seems to have made some solid observations already and concluded that she’s experimented with different genres even more thoroughly this time around. I’ll accept that conclusion, while also noting that there are some consistencies between the two albums– Olivia’s vocals seem pretty identifiable this time around and she’s teamed up with her primary producer, Dan Nigro, for the third straight album. So, that makes the leap from one record to the next more easygoing for me.

Brianna: On the whole the progression we’ve seen from Rodrigo feels natural and in line with what I, personally, want to see from an artist who is essentially growing up publicly. With SOUR’s success occurring during her early/mid teens and reflecting some of the more naive side of growing up with sonics that lean into the typical (but still wonderful) sound of pop-ballad/acoustics, to GUTS exhibiting a more rage-filled punk/alt-rock transformation, to what we now have with you seem pretty sad… which seems to struck more of a balance as Olivia continues to mature, the differences and similarities between this album and her previous works aren’t so jarring that you feel totally ousted. Lyrically, Olivia remains prosaic and poetic with stunning visuals and exceptional bridges that make for real moments to be felt. I will say that there are more love songs on this album than the other two, which is a nice shift to see from the artist, with “honeybee” leading the charge as being particularly breathtaking. I’d say that there are more similarities than differences between this and her last album, with a continued exploration of ’80s and ’90s sonics and traditions as far as the aesthetics and general lane of acoustics go. With the inclusion of the Robert Smith collaboration on “what’s wrong with me” and the sparkling synths and jive-y handclaps that show up on occasion in songs like “expectations” and “my way” there is a classic nature achieved in this album, that I think sets it apart from her prior work. As a whole, the album is an easy listen, because it’s not too unfamiliar, though in the modern landscape it stands out.

Anu: GUTS was full of a combustible, almost cartoonish teenage angst. This album trades some (but not all) snarl for earnestness. One throughline is her candor, with which she narrates heartbreak like its the first time anyone’s ever felt it. It’s charming.

Roisin: I think I’m just relating to these new songs on a different level now than I was with GUTS, because I’m in a different phase of my life, and going back to GUTS after living with this record for a while, you can actually hear her processing things differently too, like her own relationship to the same feelings has shifted. Musically, the biggest change for me is where the emotion sits. On GUTS and SOUR, the story was mostly carried by the lyrics and she was telling you what happened. Here, I hear a lot more of it in the tone of the music itself, the way a song’s mood does the emotional work alongside the words. That’s consistent right through the record and not just on the singles.

Rodrigo teased you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love with just two songs – “drop dead” and “the cure.” Are these singles faithful representations of the album?

Isabella: Although these are my two favorite songs on the album – and the strongest, in my opinion – I don’t think they’re representative of the album as a whole. Each track is entirely different in melody and lyrical composition. The overall message of the album ties them together well, but each song still stands on its own, whereas some albums only feel strong as a whole and fall flat track by track.

Jack: I think they are! “drop dead” wasn’t my favorite, but I think it was a great choice to lead with the first track from each side of the album. I also think Olivia did a remarkable job keeping the rollout of this album tight. I did like “drop dead,” but I was so unsure as to how the rest of the album would sound. And then she performed “begged” on Saturday Night Live and I was blown away. “the cure” pretty much sums up the album as a whole, and is truly such a leap from any of her previous work. The writing is sharp and the arrangement is just so much fun.

James: When “the cure” starts, does anyone else expect a Foo Fighters song to start playing or is that just me? For the most part, I feel that they do. These are both love songs in different ways, but they both do acknowledge that nothing is ever perfect. Sonically, they both sort of take that new wave sound and jangle a bit more, like those songs that I like so much do.

Josh: A lot of the album is more upbeat/rock-oriented than “drop dead” and “the cure”– including “my way,” the song I have on my headphones as I type this– but I still feel like they’re worthy introductions to you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, inasmuch as they have strong songwriting and vocals and indicate that Olivia will be detailing her fortune with the fellas once again. When I first heard “drop dead” on the radio, I thought: “Woah, this is good! And knowing Olivia, I bet the rest of the album will be as well.” I sure was right… 🙂

Brianna: I would agree with that sentiment, especially seeing that both “drop dead” and “the cure” lead their respective halves of the album and are therefore examples of the shift between the in love part of the album and the downfall of the relationship. I also appreciate that there is a distinct difference sonically between the two songs which allows for the range in this album to be seen, though not spoiled. There is a real heartbreak and frustration that comes through in a song like “the cu” that contrasts so well from the hazy dreamworld that’s constructed in the progression of “drop dead.”

Anu: I love “drop dead”; the world that the song spawned is just fantastic. The frilly outfits and Versailles setting of the video calls to mind New Romantic style. The lyrics are brilliant and an unusually candid recreation of how manic one feels when they have an unhealthy fixation on someone, and better yet – have them requite the feeling! As for “the cure,” it has its place on the album but not towards the top of the rankings for me. The lyrics felt less evocative, the music a little less exciting.

Roisin: Both feel like her doing melancholic positivity, if that makes sense, especially with “drop dead.” It captures that high of being obsessed with someone, but also how quickly that tips into something all-consuming. There’s a real sense of ascension when it hits the chorus, like she’s being lifted and swept under at the same time. And I think that contrast of bright, uplifting music sitting on top of something much darker is something she explores more across the whole album than she did on GUTS. “the cure” does the same thing in a quieter register.

Of this album, Rodrigo said, “It was just me trying to write lyrics in a more mature way about love that weren’t so black and white. All of these things can exist at once. You can be in love and also feel insecure. You can be in love and also feel depressed. And you can break up with someone and still love them. All of these things can be true at once.” Does this description capture the spirit of these songs, and where do you hear or feel it most?

Isabella: A million percent. Most songs about the healing process are very black and white – you go through grief, acceptance, anger, and so on. Olivia’s music lately has been so on the nose about the fact that happiness isn’t linear; you can be happy in a relationship and still experience moments of depression, and vice versa. It’s really refreshing to see in an album.

Jack: I think that quote from Rodrigo is the album boiled down to its most concise meaning. On her previous records, the perspective seemed to teeter between blaming the other and blaming herself, or the general tension between her black and white thinking. This album is Rodrigo at her most mature, with every track feeling like it contains more awareness of the constant “gray area” Rodrigo and her relationship are in. At times, it even feels like she wishes she could simplify things, but there is always another voice humming in the background that is asking her to consider if this really is all that good for her.

James: I believe so. I think that most of all, Rodrigo is learning that she can go down many different avenues and explore more complex feelings. This is something that I think happens to all of us as we grow up. I like that she’s a big popstar, but she’s acknowledging that relationships aren’t a salve. We can all feel many different things at once.

Josh: Look, the central lyric on the album’s lead single is: “[I’m] the most alive I’ve ever been, but kiss me and I might drop dead.” So, that alone seems to decently demonstrate that indeed, “You can be in love and also feel insecure.” Plus, 2023’s “bad idea, right?” already proved perfectly fine that “you can break up with someone and still love them,” so I’m happy to still take Olivia at her word a mere three years later.

Brianna: Without a doubt and I think it’s an incredibly mature move on the part of Olivia to make it so apparent that every emotion can exist at the same time. Initially I’m reminded most of “honeybee” when Olivia sings “I love you, baby, I promise / And I hope I never I never see what your face looks like goin’.” This lyric feels like a poignant moment where the sad film which coats even the happiest of moments is entirely visible. It’s so tender and endearing that it almost hurts to hear because of the fragility it represents. This line speaks to that dichotomy of being utterly in love and also fearing the end at the same time as it explicitly names that fear.

Anu: The sentiments behind the songs may be more mature, but the songwriting still has the charming girlishness that’s at the core of her identity as an artist. I’ve always found her songwriting to be mature in a self-aware own way, which is perhaps inevitable from a girl who started working very young.

Roisin: I think it is pretty spot on, especially listening to some of the slower songs. “begged,” I keep coming back to, because there’s something so real about wanting someone to show up for you in certain ways, but knowing that once you’ve had to beg or push them into it, it stops meaning anything. The gesture is empty by the time you’ve had to fight for it. I think she captures that shift so well, both in the lyrics and in the way the production changes around her through the song as it doesn’t stay static, it moves the way the feeling does.

Where specifically do you hear her lyrical maturity?

Isabella: In “Honeybee” specifically, there’s a lyrical maturity I noticed right away. Most of Olivia’s music has become so popularized through TikTok. “Honeybee” is a song that’s truly just for listening to alone in your room; it’s a very personal moment where you can hear her pain and vulnerability seep through.

Jack: I hear it in the way that each song refuses to surrender itself to one impulse or emotion. There is a constant thread of Olivia’s wisest self shining through even on the “girl so in love” songs. For instance, her friends telling her to slow down, or comparing herself to a train off its tracks. But these lines appear almost as if they’re afterthoughts to dismiss before she’s swept away into this whirlwind romance again. I think it’s mature in the sense that she isn’t playing the blame game much on this album. For instance, “begged” is not flaming her ex for not showing up in a particular way, and it’s way more about grief for the fact that she let herself exist in something that required her to beg for the bare minimum that makes her feel loved. And I think that song is honestly brilliant, and something I hope etches itself into the minds of her listeners. It is very fascinating how one might think that to get something after begging for it would bring immense satisfaction and relief, but it doesn’t. Healthy love is not begrudgingly given and it doesn’t feel like something that has to be won over. Even if it is won over, it only becomes more clear that the whole thing was a losing game.

There is also so much lyrical maturity on “the cure,” which I think is the most universally relatable song on the album. It’s the perfect opener to the B-side, in that it doesn’t let Olivia or her listeners off easy. It’s less about Olivia’s relationship to anyone than it is about her relationship to herself. This is the first time on the album where her focus is brought back to her and her experience. She’s gone from pining over someone to the realization that even if she gets what she wants, it’s not going to fill the void. This track is the high point of her discography in my opinion.

James: Subject matter-wise, I think her maturity shows the most. It’s not necessarily the pining high school girl or the carefree, easily-heartbroken young woman. Here, Rodrigo is still a young woman, but she’s looking for something more serious. I think that timbre of her voice and having watched her reach this point makes it harder for me to notice the lyrical maturity, but when I sit down with the lyrics to something like “maggots for brains” or “stupid song,” I definitely can see her leaning more into poetic devices that weren’t as reliant on shock value or cultural references as lines on GUTS or SOUR had. I also think the fact that occasionally she’s exploring the regularness of a relationship or anxiety or depression shows that she’s starting to see the world through a slightly different perspective. When you’re a teen or in your early 20s, every single thing seems like a big deal, but as you start to settle into yourself more, you start to see, “well, maybe this is just the way that it is.” The fact that she can narrate those feelings so well makes her a better songwriter. I also think that she’s showing her more nuanced look at things with lines like “Don’t think my future husband’s at this bar in Silver Lake.” I’ve heard plenty of my friends utter similar lines about the dating scene in our 30s.

Josh: I happen to have the song “begged” on as I’m typing this, so I’ll submit that song as one which demonstrates her lyrical maturity and emotional vulnerability by laying her complicated feelings bare: “I’m patient, you’re learning, pretend it’s not hurting. ‘Cause they say it’s a virtue to not let good love slip away.” Indelible songwriting– and there’s plenty more of it to be found all around here!

Brianna: I think I find the most maturity in the restraint she shows in songs like “honeybee” and “begged” which sit almost as sister songs as far as where they are respectively in the album, almost mirroring the same moment from alternate perspectives. Pre-the end and at the end of the subject relationship when the rose-y blinders have been stripped away. Rodrigo exhibits a level of self-awareness of her own mis-steps in the relationship as far as what she’s been willing to accept and when it has gone on for too long. We see this come to true fruition in “less.” Likewise, I might also add “cigarette smoke” to the conversation for this same reason. Olivia is almost unrelenting in the way she takes responsibility and holds the mirror up to herself while she critiques and reflects on the way the relationship (and album) progressed, and at no point does she paint anyone in particular as the villain. Rather, she keeps the overall story painted in a golden, beautiful light that is only just a little sickly for how sweet it remains even during its ultimate demise. There are no raging chords in any of these songs that might’ve been seen were this album more in the world of GUTS nor was it overly grand and confessional in the way that some songs on SOUR were. It’s contained without being weak.

Anu: I’m not going to lie, I don’t think I clocked any particular lines! I found purple to be kind of poignant, because it’s one of the few tracks where love and resentment get to just sit there without a reconciliatory bow wrapped around it.

Roisin: “less” is the one that gets me the most, because it’s so honest about the uglier feelings that come with love – jealousy, insecurity, that feeling to compare yourself to what came before or what everyone else seems to have. What I love is that she doesn’t stay stuck there and the song moves toward a kind of conclusion. By the end it feels like she’s realised love was never going to be the fix she wanted it to be, that it was never going to erase her doubts just by existing. And the “I wish you loved me less” line is the gut-punch of the whole thing, as it’s not anger at him for how he loves her, but almost a wish to protect herself from how much she’s let herself feel. It’s her figuring out that being loved a certain way doesn’t automatically undo how insecure or unsure you can still feel inside it.

Which song(s) stand out for you on the album, and why?

Isabella: I felt this originally and will stand by it: the chorus of “The Cure” will always be my favorite. The meaning behind it, the actual lyrics, the virality potential – tracking Olivia’s musical history, her personal life and dating, the little Easter eggs – it all comes together. This song very much reflects her previous sentiment about feeling multiple emotions at once: even when you’re in a happy relationship, moments of self-doubt and desperation about the world can overtake those positive moments. No one can fix you but yourself, and that’s an extremely important topic to be discussing right now, especially with influential women acting as role models for young women.

Jack: It’s hard to pick standouts from this album. While I think “the cure” is the best representation of the album, “maggots for brains” might be my personal favorite. It’s such a great example of Olivia leaning fully into the bit and pulling off an idea that most other artists would fumble. I also absolutely love how the song progresses. The production is so much fun and reminds me a lot of Blue Rev by Alvvays.

“purple” is another standout, and it also happens to be the track co-produced by Jim E Stack (Lorde – Virgin.) Aside from it being a truly creative concept, it marks such a seamless transition from the “girl so in love” side to the “you seem pretty sad” side. By the time she reaches the chilling guitar-string-plucked outro, her disappearance into the relationship has become too obvious for her to ignore.

James: The two favorites so far have been “maggots for brains” and “expectations.” Those two have been in constant rotation for casual listening and running. They both lean slightly alt-rock and new wave, with a sheen on them. “Maggots for brains” is especially fun, because it is a little morbid in its imagery yet being this very fun, shimmering pop song. I can listen to it over and over, and I feel that the dark undertones that Rodrigo has always had come through most prevalently there.

Josh: “what’s wrong with me” stands out for the simple reason that it’s the first time that Olivia Rodrigo has ever done a vocal duet with someone on one of her albums, and it winds up being a hugely compelling collaboration with Robert Smith of the Cure (who saw that one coming? Haha). Plus, I admire “drop dead” for being the lead single that does full justice to the album that follows (not always the easiest task) and “cigarette smoke” for bringing the album to such a spectacular close as it does.

Brianna: “honeybee” and “maggots for brains” have to be my personal standouts. I can only describe “honeybee” as being precious. It captures the experience of complete and utter admiration and endearment with someone in a way that just makes you want to weep. On the other hand, though not so dissimilarly, “maggots for brains” is the silly side of the same coin. It’s a bit more bright, but speaks to the dopey darkness that comes around during the spell of love. Both songs are respectfully in the world of love, while maintaining that undertone of despair that Rodrigo references with her title and intentions. I also enjoy the sort of morbidity that’s introduced with the image of “maggots for brains,” it offers a nice juxtaposition to the otherwise to “honeybee” in terms of connotations though the songs are thematically aligned. It’s simply a nice play by Rodrigo. Also, as a Cure fan, I have to give a nod to “what’s wrong with me” because I mean, come on? I think their voices compliment one another incredibly well, and lyrically it’s catchy and self-depricating without being too self-sacrificial.

Anu: “what’s wrong with me” – Robert Smith’s voice is beautiful and ruinous as ever, and it is strange and wonderful to hear him on a pop record like this. And his voice next to Olivia’s, which sounds like silk? Oh boy. I can’t get enough! Beyond that, I thought the storytelling in “drop dead” is deliciously intoxicated and insatiate. “begged” is one that genuinely marks me mourn the production choices elsewhere, because you can really hear the aching beauty of her unfiltered voice swooping, quivering, jumping. I think it’s a tragedy it’s a little more buried on songs like “maggots for brains.”

Roisin: “expectations” is probably my favourite on the record. It’s got that same fun, funky energy as some of the “get him back”-era songs which is proof she can still tap into that side of herself even on an album that mostly deals with love pretty seriously. There’s something so satisfying about her just flatly saying she won’t settle for a guy with a fake job, when you think about how many men have coasted on exactly that excuse. It feels like a release hearing it, and hearing someone say the thing you’ve thought but never quite let yourself say out loud.

Do you have any favorite lyrics so far? Which lines stand out?

Isabella: “And it feels like medication and it’s good for me I’m sure but it don’t matter how your love feels anymore it will never be the cure. Why can’t you come stitch me up? Why can’t it ever be enough?”

“I won’t settle for a guy with a fake job, they seem so desperate for lovin’ but baby I’m not. Their indecision is painfully unattractive, past mistakes are just new information, these days, I’ve got expectations”

As a 23-year-old woman who’s dated in both Los Angeles and New York, these lyrics are PAINFULLY accurate. First, that feeling of not being happy no matter how much you try to fill a void with a relationship – I think every person in their 20s has experienced that. Second, living in cities that breed nepo babies and men whose work ethic is becoming more and more nonexistent, it’s increasingly hard to find a man who matches a woman who prioritizes her career. There’s a very specific demographic these lyrics speak to, and Olivia really hit the mark with them.

Jack: “I had big dreams ‘til I tied myself to you.” (“purple”) The way this line is delivered is chilling. It comes during the second verse of a song that had otherwise been about how sweet it is that she’s so close to this guy that she even has a favorite florist in his town. And then she very casually delivers this lyric as if it’s just another feature of this relationship that she’s disappearing into.

“Carve our names into the car seat leather.” (“u + me = <3”)

“Everything is moldy like the fruit that’s in my fridge.” (“maggots for brains”) Olivia really nailed the concept of this song – feeling so taken over by this relationship that her brain is rotting away, and neglecting herself as she falls into this depression that even the food in her fridge is expiring.

“I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake.” (“stupid song”) Another simple but very effective way to describe her descent into this relationship.

“Nothing’s quite enough when I know that to gеt it, I begged. (“begged”)

James: That opening verse in “maggots for brains” really gets me.

“My day was so mundane, I don’t think I left the house
Drank a pot of coffee, tried to write, nothing came out
Somehow, it’s the weekend, I’m still bored out of my skull
And I went to a party but only on principle”

Same, Olivia. Same.

Josh: I won’t overthink this. The chorus to lead single “drop dead” instantly made me confident that we had another round of fun and cleverness coming up from Olivia Rodrigo shortly. Here it is again, in all its glory:

“Ohh
One night I was bored in bed
And stalked you on the internet
It’s feminine intuition
‘Cuz I always had a vision of us standing like this
All pressed up in the bathroom line
You’re looking like an angel on the walls of Versailles
The most alive I’ve ever been
But kiss me and I might drop dead.”

Brianna: How many times can one girl talk about “honeybee”? It’s a line I’ve mentioned already, but I’ll expand the selection to include a bit more “Baby boy, honeybee / God, I love the way you look at me / And it’s too hard to describe this / In a way that feels honest, but even when I’m quiet / I love you, baby, I promise” – this and the eventual evolution to the unspoken promise of love at the end of the song, absolutely stunning. It isn’t some grand declaration of love, but is rather simple and for that it feels true and real.

Though the whole song is devastating, the lines from “less” that sing “If loving me means saying / “Babe, I think this is the end” / Well I guess / I wish, I wish, I wish / you loved me less” are especially wrenching for how succinct and still full of hope they are.

Ultimately I believe, it really speaks volumes to Olivia’s craft, that she knows when to stop her pen, and let the silences and pauses, and breaths, speak when in reality, words do tend to fail. It’s hard to put the true feeling of heartbreak and love into words, and I think that the way Olivia has put it into words and when she has chosen to let the atmosphere speak for it, itself, is a true demonstration of her understanding of love and music.

Anu: Whenever I hear it, this line strikes me as a very poetic way to put the feeling: “I hope I never see what your face looks like going.” It’s a small, quaint way to evoke a feeling. I also really like “if there’s a god, he’s the bond that’s between us two.”

Roisin: I think it has to be the simplicity of “honeybee.” Normally I’d love to go full English-teacher on a lyric, hunting for some deeper symbolic read. But honestly, the more interesting thing “honeybee” does is refuse that. It’s catchy precisely because it’s simple. There’s no big metaphor to unpack, it’s just “would you sit and keep me company,” “everything I own just feels like ours.” Those are such small, ordinary asks. It’s the kind of thing you’d hear in a rom-com montage, and I mean that as a compliment, as it’s showing how normal and unremarkable these feelings actually are when you’re in them. Being picked up, walked home, not being scared in the dark because someone’s right there. That’s a version of love almost everyone will recognise from their own life at some point. Paired with how warm the production is underneath it, it ends up being one of the most effective songs on the album because it doesn’t try too hard.

Where do you feel you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love sits in the pantheon of Olivia Rodrigo’s discography?

Isabella: This is my favorite album of Olivia’s by far, mainly due to standout songs like “Drop Dead,” “The Cure,” and “Expectations,” as I mentioned before. That said, Olivia’s music seems to grow with me, so every album becomes my favorite at the time of its release. We’re around the same age, at similar stages of life, and unlike a lot of artists’ music – which tends to be more general and lets people relate at any point in time – Olivia’s songs are very specific. They follow the path of a twenty-something as she navigates relationships, the chaos of everyday life, and her own emotions.

Jack: I was such a massive fan of GUTS that I’m genuinely surprised to say that I think her new album is an improvement on all fronts. Between the new wave inspired production, leaps in lyrical maturity, and its masterfully executed concept, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love has raised her bar higher than I think anyone knew she could go. Her previous output is so solid that she could have delivered a run-of-the-mill album with little to no complaints, but her commitment to developing her own artistry coupled with her well-rounded breadth of musical influences have continued to solidify Olivia as the artist of her generation.

James: In the way that it has been perceived, it may eek it’s way to the top. Currently, I wouldn’t surprised if people who were Rodrigo-averse or agnostic have immediately jumped this album to the top. I do feel that I still go back to GUTS more, but Rodrigo is so early in her career. I don’t know what we can expect from her in the next 5, 10, 20 years. I hope that she continues to evolve and give us exciting life updates along the way. This record may indicate a turning point, but there may be another album when she is in her 30s that is another shift. At this moment though, it’s probably her best record.

Josh: All three of her albums are really good. Usually, I say that it takes some time-testing for me to decide where a new album ranks in the artist’s overall discography. But this time, I may just have to go along with what several of my colleagues in this forum have declared: Yes, this is indeed Olivia Rodrigo’s finest release to date.

Brianna: I do believe that this ranks at the top for me in regard to her catalogue. She doesn’t have a bad album, but I do think that she just keeps getting better and better as she comes to understand herself, life, love, and music more. Each go around she seems to finesse her talents, so I’ll be interested to see where she goes from here, but for now, I am happy to just keep listening to you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love on repeat for the foreseeable.

Anu: This album is one of the most interesting artistic swings she’s taken, even if the New wave homage is laid on a bit thick in places. It feels the most ambitious to me, but SOUR still has an edge for its sheer impact and the visually distinctive world built around the music.

Roisin: It’s a strange one for me to place, because it didn’t win me over instantly. I needed a few proper listens before it clicked. But once it did, it ended up sitting near the top for me, maybe just under GUTS, which I still think showcases her softer songwriting at its absolute best. What tips this one up so close is how much more she’s trusting the music itself to carry the emotion rather than just the lyrics with songs that are simple and warm rather than clever for the sake of it. It doesn’t have quite the same density of knockout lines as GUTS did for me, but it’s more consistent as a listen front to back, and it’s caught me at a point in my life where a lot of it just makes sense.

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Stream: “the cure” – Olivia Rodrigo

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you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

an album by Olivia Rodrigo