I have been an avid listener of Olivia Rodrigo since her debut album "Sour," so expect some biases and high scores with this album review. Also, since August is the Philippines's language heritage month, I feel compelled to review her album as well.
So far, production-wise, Olivia's third album, "You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love," is a typical Rodrigo album with some added 80s/90s flair. She's been consistent with her musical growth and has continuously polished her pop rock sound throughout her three albums. That consistency paid off. She's now known in the industry as one of the pop rock girls of this generation.
Comparing the three albums, "Sour" is the most pop-leaning of all of them, with "Guts" having the more rock-leaning sound and "You Seem Pretty Sad for A Girl So in Love" being more reminiscent of 90s acoustic soft pop rock. "Guts" uses heavier instruments similarly to pop-punk bands, while in her third album, she channels more of that Alanis Morissette type within her instrumental production and choices.
As for the songwriting, all of the albums are written in a way that perfectly summarizes what Rodrigo wants to convey in a particular era. "Sour" was her breakout album, and the songwriting sounded exactly like that—rebellious and bright-eyed—while with "Guts," she spins into lyricism that's more introspective, a little detached, assertive, and mature compared to the former.
With her third album, Olivia shies away from both of her two former eras and steps into writing more about her interpersonal relationships. In retrospect, her albums have always revolved around similar songwriting themes, but the latest one has an added layer of depth about her relationships that her past two albums have never tackled. Previous broader themes like "Happier," "Brutal," or "All-American Bitch" are noticeably absent in her third album. Instead there, she immersively laments about her self-inflicted pain and struggles as a young woman in love through her songs "Maggots for Brains," "What's Wrong With Me," and "Honeybee."
Among the three albums, cohesively, the third album ranks first. "Guts" and "Sour," on their own, have cohesive conceptual albums, but Olivia's decision to position this record into a single theme makes the songwriting easier to follow.
Overall, for the whole album, I rate it a 9 out of 10.
Honeybee: 10/10; so gentle and so sad; songwriting is pretty; production is pretty too
Maggots for Brains: 9.5; love the nostalgic feel of the production here with the guitars
Begged: 9/10 - well written
What’s Wrong With Me: 8/10
Album cohesiveness: 10/10
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