you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

by Olivia Rodrigo

* "you seem pretty sad..." by Olivia Rodrigo is like watching a loving relationship unravel and disintegrate before your very eyes. You're actively witnessing a painful and private affair with a horrific ending. It feels wrong to listen to, because this album is so personal and close to home that it feels like I'm invading her privacy.

* In "girl so in love" there is a carefree, honeymoon vibe at first glance. We hear of a relationship that seems wonderful, reflected by the up-beat instrumentals, but has undertones of unstableness and over-dependence. As you get more into it, you realize that it is not so sunshine and rainbows. For instance, she describes losing her ambition and drive to do anything, her relationship being so absorbent on her psyche that it's all she thinks about. The album cover reflects this, on the surface, she is having fun on a swing set, but as her emotions and thoughts unravel, you realize inside she is depressed and lovesick.

* The second disc, "you seem pretty sad" It's here the facade completely cracks open. Starting off with "the cure", it opens with a beautiful singer-songwriter track with added orchestral elements overtime that keeps evolving and evolving, while Rodrigo sings passionately about finding out that love is not to her problems—the hard way. The instrumental is a complete turn from everything previous, which represents the shift of emotions Olivia is feeling. Goosebumps were spotted all over my body, it's the best song she's made so far and it's not even close. "cigarette smoke" is a somber closer where she tries to get rid of the memories of the relationship, regretting the time and energy she spent on it. It is similar to "the cure" instrumentally, and ending it off with this left me in awe, feeling a sense of emptiness and dread after the album, likely the same she felt in the song.

* This is her 3rd album, and with this fact, you realize that Olivia is the kind of artist that only moves forward. Here, the lyricism is stronger than ever before, keeping the teenage angst in some aspects while also maturing in its emotions and nuance. The instrumentals feel a lot more full and eclectic sounding, with moments of pure sonic bliss sprinkled throughout the experience (i.e "the cure"), and is overall more consistent in this compartment. It is so good at getting to you. Despite not being able to relate to many of these experiences; the pain and passion in her voice, the heartfelt instrumentals, the personal and gut-wrenching lyrics; it's her most potent and gripping emotionally.