<\/p>\n
Allow us to stan-out for a second: Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s<\/a> third album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love<\/em><\/a>, dropped today, and the TL;DR is, it\u2019s really<\/em> good. A calculated shift away from the Avril Lavigne<\/a>-leaning pop punk and Lorde<\/a>-like balladry that she built her career upon, the new record is a stunning tribute to the synthy, darkly bright sound of British new wave, and masterfully pays homage to the euphoric melancholy of bands like Tears For Fears<\/a>, Depeche Mode<\/a>, and most obviously, The Cure<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once again, however, the most impressive element of her artistry remains her songwriting; at just 23 years old, Rodrigo is already articulating the nauseating nuances and painful pitfalls of love better than most artists twice her age, with her best musical moments coming out on the bridge. Dare we say, she might just be the new undisputed Queen of Bridges.<\/p>\n The record opens with the lead single, \u201cDrop Dead<\/a>,\u201d and when it reaches its peak, the bridge is not unlike that of her 2021 hit \u201cDeja Vu<\/a>\u201d: it\u2019s loud, it\u2019s explosive, and it feels like a rush of adrenaline to the brain. But that build pales in comparison to the bridge on the following track, \u201cStupid Song,\u201d on which Rodrigo delivers a rousing declaration of love at half of volume of the previous song before piercing through the silence with the brief exaltation, \u201cNobody\u2019s wanted somebody more!\u201d between every line \u2014 definitive proof that you don\u2019t need a high-energy build and scream-sung gang vocals to have a perfect bridge.<\/p>\n The next arresting bridge comes on \u201cMy Way,\u201d where Rodrigo adopts the persona of the villain hurling insults at another girl trying to shoot her shot with her boyfriend. \u201cSo, where’d you get that confidence from? \/ Last time that I checked, I won \/ Let me be direct: just stop \/ You’re being f*cking weird,\u201d she sings in her most bratty voice over a wailing high-pitched synth. The song certainly doesn\u2019t paint her in the best light, yet it\u2019s so addictive that it\u2019s hard not to be on her side.<\/p>\n