Label: Geffen
Release Date: 21st May 2021
Rating: 9/10
"In a world where girls often feel they have to apologise for their emotions, Rodrigo never tones hers down."
“God, it’s brutal out here,” scoffs Olivia Rodrigo on the opening track of her debut album, SOUR. Biting sarcasm, uncontained emotion and grungy guitars combine to chronicle the 18-year-old’s teen angst, and ‘brutal’ introduces it with scathing abruptness. Disney Channel IT girl, Swiftie turned best friend of Swift, 2021’s answer to Avril Lavigne: Olivia Rodrigo has been the name on everyone’s lips since the record-breaking release of ‘drivers license’ back in January. SOUR makes it blatantly obvious why.
A large part of the appeal of SOUR is that regardless of your age, at least some moments will manage to capture something close to your own heart. Rodrigo writes with a gut-punching candour whether it is about her own insecurities, a crushing heartbreak, or a childhood friend. Whilst she manages to integrate her own specificities like “watching re-runs of Glee” or reading “all of your self-help books”, she still manages to tap into a universality with every line. Her pain and anguish are visceral at times, perhaps because she never shies away from the less flattering emotions: she allows herself moments of spite and jealousy and bitterness, and it makes each listen feel cathartic.
SOUR exhibits Rodrigo’s dualities immaculately. The album’s third single, ‘good 4 u’, sees her lean into a pop-punk revival as she unleashes her anger post-breakup. She laughs her way through, no-holds barred and invites you to scream and shout with her. It is completely incendiary, yet completely therapeutic. Elsewhere, she embraces the melancholic and wistful – ‘1 step forward, 3 steps back’ illuminates her softer side. The piano-led track offers a moment of serenity before giving way into the abrasive, distorted ‘déjà vu’.
‘favorite crime’ is perhaps Rodrigo at her best, however. Her lyricism is unwaveringly deft throughout, undoubtedly. Yet, on ‘favorite crime’, the weight of each word is felt like a knife to the chest. The stripped-back production and ethereal harmonies might exude tenderness, but lyrically its expression of agency is enough to leave you breathless. Never mind heart on your sleeve – here, Rodrigo invites you directly inside the inner workings of her heartache and spiralling thoughts and leaves them for the taking. Her most powerful moments are arguably her most understated: when she is confessional and frank, her easy tug at your heartstrings is more sharply felt.
Naturally, the rapidly changing sounds and genre are enough to give you whiplash, but arguably, that is part of the album’s charm. It chronicles the ever-changing moods and fraught emotions of just being an 18-year-old, or even experiencing a breakup that leaves you in a different place every day, no matter your age. The unpredictable highs and lows reached in the album’s chaotic, yet short runtime perfectly document that turbulence.
In a world where girls often feel they have to apologise for their emotions, Rodrigo never tones hers down. On ‘good 4 u’, she ponders “maybe I’m too emotional” but that never stops her from owning hers. Each thought and feeling that envelopes her is brought to life through bracing visuals and intimate details. It reclaims that repression of emotions and shows her unwilling to dim herself down. She embraces the shattering depths of her feelings and empowers you to sink into your own too, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Feelings demand to be felt, after all.
Words by Neive McCarthy.
23rd May 2021.
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