<\/p>\n
Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s<\/a> girlishness is her superpower.<\/p>\n She recently turned 23, but it feels like even 30 years from now, Rodrigo will still be all smiles and waves in babydoll dresses<\/a>.<\/p>\n But, as fans already know, that perky veneer is often a shroud over her aching vulnerability, which is spotlighted with intensity on her melodically mature third album, out now.<\/p>\n The mouthful of a title \u2013 \u201cYou Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love\u201d<\/a> \u2013 is actually perfect, if cumbersome.<\/p>\n These 13 songs<\/a> swing from the giddy rush produced by the boy with \u201cfloppy hair\u201d who takes her out to dinner (\u201cU + Me = \u201cThe Cure.\u201d Or her namechecking the band\u2019s \u201cJust Like Heaven\u201d<\/a> in “Drop Dead,” the galloping first single from the album.<\/p>\n Romance, it seems, makes Rodrigo sad, especially when longing for her partner on \u201cMaggots for Brains\u201d (\u201cI\u2019m a sad shell of a woman \u2026 but that\u2019s the thing that happens when my baby goes away\u201d).<\/p>\n But she also basks in flirtation, as heard on the pop-alicious \u201cDrop Dead,\u201d<\/a> with that Swiftian descriptor<\/a> of her beau \u201clooking like an angel on the walls of Versailles\u201d among the best of her still-burgeoning career.<\/p>\n Rodrigo isn\u2019t an esoteric wordsmith, but that\u2019s exactly what makes her so likeable. Her diary entry-style lyrics highlight her relatability and, coupled with a voice that imbues those words with breathy passion, she\u2019s continuing to stake her claim among young pop-rock royalty.<\/p>\n Here are some of the best songs on \u201cYou Seem So Sad for a Girl So in Love.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Rodrigo has often spoken of her adoration of The Cure, so why not tap Smith, the Governor of Gloom<\/a>, for her first-ever recorded collaboration?<\/p>\n While the lyrics suit the downer of the title (\u201cIt\u2019s like somebody put a weight on my chest\/I should talk to a friend, but I can\u2019t get out of bed\u201d), musically it\u2019s a gorgeous synth bop. Rodrigo also seemingly nods to The Killers\u2019 \u201cMr. Brightside\u201d<\/a> with the line, \u201cMy head is spinning and my stomach is sick,\u201d part of the sublime chorus featuring Smith.<\/p>\n The Cure leader and Rodrigo make an unconventional match on paper, but their shared acknowledgement of how the pining is the hardest part exemplifies their kindred spirits.<\/p>\n Where \u201cDrop Dead\u201d picked up the fizzy pace of previous Rodrigo barnburners \u201cBad Idea Right?\u201d and \u201cGood 4 U,\u201d the second single from \u201cYSPSFAGSIL\u201d highlights some of her most introspective songwriting.<\/p>\n Just as the song starts to lull with strummed guitar chords and Rodrigo\u2019s near-whispered vocals, it kicks into a sumptuous chorus<\/a> laden with strings and vivid imagery about heads full of poison, hearts full of doubt and toxins in bloodstreams, a love story tainted by insecurity.<\/p>\n\u2018What\u2019s Wrong with Me\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018The Cure\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018My Way\u2019<\/h2>\n