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\n\tOlivia Rodrigo<\/a> is more than just pretty sad on her third album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love<\/a><\/em>. Over 13 tracks, the superstar depicts all the beautiful, ugly, and heart-wrenching emotions that come with being in love in a real, grown-up way. It\u2019s been three years since Rodrigo\u2019s last release, 2023\u2019s Guts<\/a><\/em>, and in that time she\u2019s not just grown older, but wiser too \u2014 and her music reflects this hard-won maturity. She\u2019s tapping into a new sonic palette and expanding her songwriting. Here are our key takeaways from the new project.<\/p>\n \n\tRodrigo has proven herself time and time again as a masterful writer of bruised ballads and scorned break-up anthems. It\u2019s literally what introduced her to the world. But on You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love<\/em>, she dives into the gray areas of romantic relationships. She\u2019s not belting about outright betrayal like on Sour<\/a><\/em> or taking quippy shots at an ex like on Guts<\/em>; instead, Rodrigo creates a disquieting unease throughout the album. On \u201cMaggots For Brains,\u201d she describes separation anxiety from a relationship with detailed lines like, \u201cEverything feels moldy \/ Like the fruit that\u2019s in my fridge.\u201d The crushing one-two punch of \u201cLess\u201d and \u201cCigarette Smoke\u201d are soft-sounding ruminations about the end of a relationship that find her coming to harsh realizations like \u201cIf loving me means saying \u2018Babe, I think this is the end\u2019 Well I guess I wish I wish I wish \/ You loved me less\u201d and admitting, \u201cI resent you \/ For not being brave.\u201d \u2014M.G<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tWe knew Rodrigo was a rock scholar well before GSIL<\/em>. Think of her \u201cDeja Vu\u201d reference \u2014 and eventual linkup<\/a> \u2014 with Billy Joel, how the opening Guts <\/em>rager \u201cAll-American Bitch\u201d was inspired by<\/a> Rage Against the Machine, and her appearance at the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, where she honored her pal<\/a> Jack during the White Stripes\u2019 induction. We watched a meeting of the minds<\/a> go down between her and David Byrne last year, not once<\/a>, but twice<\/a>, while GSIL<\/em> features a stunning duet<\/a> with the Cure\u2019s Robert Smith<\/a>. But the rest of this magnificent record features glimpses of how deep her lifelong love of rock goes. Liv is clearly a New Wave girl now, nodding to Modern English on \u201cPurple\u201d (a refrain of \u201cMelt with you\u201d that\u2019s sure to melt in our brains forever), while the shimmery synths of \u201cExpectations\u201d sound so Devo circa \u201cGirl U Want\u201d that she might as well be wearing an energy dome and partying with Booji Boy. And if \u201cu + me = Deacon Blues.\u201d Until then, we should all sit down and take notes from Professor Rodrigo.\u00a0\u2014A.M<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\t\tShe Is More Than Just Wise Beyond Her Years Now\u00a0<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tShe Dives Deeper Into Her Encyclopedic Rock Knowledge\u00a0<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n