SOUR - Olivia Rodrigo: Review
Olivia Rodrigo
is an actress and singer who at just 18 years old is taking over the world in 2021. After staring in a high profile Disney series she set her aim towards music and immediately released one of the most commercially successful debut singles of all time earlier this year. After dropping two more successful singles she set herself up perfectly to drop one of the biggest debut albums in years with SOUR.
Review By Lav:
I'll be the first person to admit that I was pretty excited for this record. Not only is it astounding the level of commercial success Olivia has achieved so quickly but I've actually really enjoyed a couple of her big singles. Despite just how much she resembles Lorde in a few tracks I was hoping that she would set her own course artistically and SOUR definitely does that. This is a break-up album from start to finish that doesn't slouch on songwriting with pretty good hooks and thematically consistent tracks. While it isn't a masterpiece or anything it is quite an impressive debut for Olivia.
The first impressive feat of SOUR is that it gets off to a really, really good start. brutal is the opening track and a great way to start the record with a pop punk flavored anthem that sees Olivia lashing out at all the unfair forces working against her. The song has a legitimately banging hook where she delivers a snarky and infectious attitude in her vocals. I didn't expect to hear a song like this on the album, much less one that is so damn good. traitor is the records first ballad addressing the break-up that seems to have inspired the whole record. The lyrical approach is an interesting one as the song is all about how her ex didn't literally cheat on her but was obviously talking to and thinking about another girl while they were still together. It adds a bit of reflective edge to the typical vengeful break-up song and while the ballad itself doesn't blow me away she really holds her own vocally particularly on the back end of the track. It's one of numerous times on the record that I'm impressed with her performances. Speaking of which the very next track is Drivers License the mega hit song that started it all earlier this year and one that I like even more now than I originally did. The whole metaphor surrounding Olivia getting her drivers license it yet another interesting take on the break-up song dynamic. The real tour de force moment is obviously the hook which features some absolutely killer vocals and has proven to be a total anthem in the months since it was originally released.
deja vu was the records 2nd single and its next highlight. It once again brings a lyrical theme more compelling than your average pop song and while the instrumental gets off to a bit of a slow start it definitely has a tangible build that makes the whole second half of the song much more satisfying. It turns into something quite harrowing on the 2nd half and I find it really easy to buy into. happier is a piano ballad that sees Olivia wishing that her ex is still happy, but not as happy as he was with her. She laments her own mistakes and his lack of commitment while also having to stop herself from attacking his new girlfriend for no good reason. It's a mostly gentle swaying tune with a memorable hook and some vocal highlights I find it hard to complain much about it. Though if I was going to complain I would mention that some of the instrumentation is mixed so low it may as well not even be there.
jealousy, jealousy is a total instrumental change of pace from the rest of the album with bouncy percussion and an absolutely fat bassline over which Olivia is musing on the fake depictions of peoples lives on social media, and how she can't help but compare herself to them. It's a hooky instrumental with another compelling and consistent set of lyrics. My only issue with the track is that the vocal effects on the bridge don't do nearly as good a job at making it sound triumphant as they seem like they're meant to. hope ur ok is an absolutely stunning closer to the record. Like a seriously jaw dropping moment that I was not at all prepared for. It's a beautiful conclusion that lyrically sees Olivia reminiscing on people in her life that she hasn't seen in a long time and can only wish that they are still okay. Despite how brief the descriptions of these characters are they are packed with compelling details that make each one feel so genuine and tragic. While this is probably the one part on the record where she most resembles Lorde, when the song is this good I can definitely handle it being slightly derivative, what a fantastic ending.
Speaking of derivative the third single good 4 u is derivative of some places that you really wouldn't expect from hearing the rest of the album. Olivia is once again leaning into some pop punkisms but feels hugely inspired by Avril Lavigne and P!nk which I'm not really head over heels for. Weridly enough the hook sounds like its ripped straight out of One Of The Boys era Katy Perry and she doesn't bring nearly the same infectious attitude as the opener. The tracks saving grace is its spiteful lyrics which are admittedly another big highlight. enough for you is a stark ballad about someone moving on from Olivia because they find someone else they like more. I do think the machination of wanting to be enough for somebody is a compelling, if not slightly over explored one in pop music. While Olivia holds her own vocally this isn't one of the better written tracks here with refrains that come one after another with no room to breathe in a way that feels almost improvised.
The biggest filler moment on the record is Favorite Crime a guitar ballad that's one of the most lyrically formless songs on the entire record. While the term filler may seem a little harsh I think this track fits it an that's well before it bows out of its runtime seemingly at random. The only unique element of the song are the layered vocals and I don't even find them all that compelling. The worst song on the record by far is 1 step forward, 3 steps back. With the really slight instrumental and breathy vocals it reminds me of some of the incredibly patience testing songs from Billie Eilish's debut album. There are moments here like the back of the hook that are okay but the song is mostly dominated with really weakly written and performed refrains.
Despite a few hiccups here and there SOUR is an impressive debut album. Olivia flexes her ability as a songwriter and a vocalist all over the record proving to be a versatile talent at such a young age. I'm impressed by her range of creativity and just how much material she can stretch out of this break-up. The biggest thing that SOUR does is gets me excited for Olivia's potential because if this is the level of execution she is working with as an 18 year old on her debut, whatever she does going forward has the potential to be incredible. 7/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
