Sour by Olivia Rodrigo: Simply Put, a Phenomenal Pop Album

Initially known for her acting roles, such as Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark, Olivia Rodrigo dove head first into her music career after the release of her first single back in January. Olivia’s single, “Driver’s License,” was so well received that it ended up breaking Spotify’s record twice for most daily streams for a non-holiday song. With the hype surrounding “Driver’s License” she decided to upgrade the EP she was working on to be a full-on album. Usually when someone as young and early in their career decides to follow up the success of a single like “Driver’s License” with a full album, sometimes fans can be a bit let down. However, Sour isn’t one of those cases!

I will be honest, I had no idea who Olivia Rodrigo was before I heard the song “Driver’s License” being played in pretty much every other video on TikTok. I ended up really enjoying the song but in a time where it seems that artists prefer to just put out singles, I wasn’t expecting a full album from such a new artist quite yet.  After “Driver’s License,” I hadn’t really kept her on my radar until I heard her follow up single, “Déjà Vu.” After hearing “Déjà Vu” and realizing how much talent she had to offer, I was actually excited when I found out she was releasing an album. After giving the album a few full listens following its release on May 21, 2021, I knew I had to write a review about it.

Now with Olivia only being 18 years old, her music seems to really resonate with teens, tweens, and early 20 year olds. However, I have seen many individuals older than myself talk about how despite their age, they actually really like Olivia’s music. To that I say, the age you are compared to the music you enjoy absolutely doesn’t matter! I use to seriously hate it when old men would say I was too young to enjoy the older bands that I do and I definitely won’t try to tell someone they are too old to enjoy music made for teens if it is something they enjoy. So if you are an older millennial who is now an Olivia Rodrigo fan, you can relax, no one cares.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s get into this album and my thoughts!

photo from theguardian.com

For starters, based off of the songs she chose as singles, you can already tell that this album will feature quite a bit of breakup content, and boy does it deliver! However, she tactfully explores all the stages of a break up through the songs, while also including songs that just simply resonate with the day-to-day things that come with experiencing adolescence.  If the singles and the album title itself didn’t give away the fact that this album would be exploring teenage angst, then the opening song “Brutal” is sure to get the point across. “Brutal” serves as more of a punk-pop song and starts off the album in a way that I totally didn’t expect, making the listening experience even more exciting. The songs following “Brutal” start to open up into her experience of pain and heartbreak through songs that make you feel sad, such as “Driver’s License,” and then balances it out with songs that incorporate more of the anger that comes with heartbreak like the song “Traitor.”

The album then goes on to feature songs that really showcase the vulnerability that comes with accepting and understanding heartbreak, especially if it is your first one. Songs like “Enough for You” and “Happier” give us an insight into the emotions behind her understanding the dynamic of her previous relationship and the heartbreaking feelings of simply not feeling like you are enough. I really enjoy her writing in these songs because she totally could have come off a bit cheesy but instead she gave us a real and honest look into her insecurities. I especially like how the song “Happier” is her wanting to want the best for the other person but deep down hoping they aren’t near as happy as they were with her to really rub it in their face that they missed out. That is definitely a selfish thought I am sure most of us has had while in the process of healing after a breakup.

Following these more somber songs, Olivia gives listeners a real look into the experience of a teen in the current state of social media with the overwhelming amount of comparison amongst social media users in the song “Jealousy, Jealousy.” She does so in a very self-aware way while also admitting how toxic and addictive the vicious cycle of comparing fake perfect lives to everyone else’s fake perfect lives can be. I also think this song would be an excellent choice to show parents of teens in order to help them really understand what some of their kids may be going through as a social media user.

As for the closing song on the album, I couldn’t think of a better choice from all of her songs than the one she chose, “Hope Ur Ok.” While Sour is an overall sad or maybe even angry album, “Hope Ur Ok” rounds out the selection of songs with a more hopeful and reassuring feeling. I also respect the maturity behind genuinely wishing the best for those you don’t associate with anymore.

It is one thing to appreciate the writing and meaning behind the songs on the album, but it is another to also simply enjoy the overall sound. I really appreciate how Olivia didn’t totally stick to one sub-genre of pop when making this album and instead chose to not box herself in by giving us examples of her range. I would consider this album to be a wonderful mix of pop, bedroom pop, punk-pop, and even a little folk-pop. Another thing I appreciate about this album is her ability to pay homage to those who inspired her as an artist. For example, in her song “Good 4 U,” you can undoubtedly hear the similarities to Paramore’s “Misery Business.” She also pays homage to her love for Taylor Swift in the song “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” by using a melody similar, if not the same, to Taylor Swift’s “New Year’s Day.” Olivia has also sighted Lorde as another big inspiration and you can certainly hear hints of that electro-dream pop music style throughout the album.

photo from vulture.com

Overall, I was tremendously impressed with this debut album from Olivia Rodrigo. I find her ability to vulnerably express the various stages of going through a breakup and understanding that heartbreak, while also giving older individuals a better understanding of the struggles of teens today, without coming off too cheesy or inauthentic. I may not be going through a break up myself, but I can assure you that my younger self would have absolutely played this record into the ground.  I know that Taylor Swift’s early work was a big factor in feeling understood as a teenage girl back when I was still in high school and I can truly see Olivia being that for teenage girls today. Something else that I think makes this album really stand out is Olivia’s ability to incorporate the majority of sub-genres under the pop umbrella. This not only opens up her music to a wider range of listeners, but also keeps fans on their toes for her future work by knowing she could go in many different directions. Sour truly pulled Olivia out of the typical musical career cycle that many Disney stars experience with a hit single here and there, and upgraded her to the well deserved label of a rising pop star.

I genuinely look forward to seeing where Olivia Rodrigo takes her music career and I am confident that she will be one of those artists that today’s teens really grow up and experience life with. Well done Olivia!