Upcoming pop artist Olivia Rodrigo puts together an impressive debut record with ‘Sour’. Storytelling and musical undulations in the album follow a 21st-century resonance that caters to the wide young audience stream.
The 18-year-old singer took the Brit Awards stage on fire with the song ‘Drivers License’ performed before an incredible butterfly projection. Her debut single is about a delicate heartbreak that is a relatable saga in the life of a teenager. The song is a crunchy pop number that caused significant waves of popularity in the music scene. Jeremy Erlich, co-head of music at Spotify told The New York Times, “It just ballooned into this monster … unlike anything anyone’s seen before”. The song went on to become one of the fastest-selling tracks to garner over 100 million streams on Spotify’s platform. It made history on the audio-sharing platform and also made huge lines of popularity on the platform of TikTok. Her music also has a dramatic bend to it. She may have been singing about her High School Musical: The Musical co-star Joshua Basset. He was rumored of leaving her for Sabrina Carpenter, another actor from the Disney universe movie. This led to fans speculating many things. Both Carpenter and Basset came out with response songs and the whole chapter looked like something out of a freshly prepared drama.
However, coming back to Rodrigo and her precious new release, she discussed the technicalities involved in production and songwriting. She is all for suspended notes, sevenths, and ascending chords and hence, knows her craft very well. Her debut album seems to be a blend of influences and exposure from some of the greatest artists in pop in recent times like Lorde and Taylor Swift. The young artist takes inspiration from her 21st century adolescent years and transforms them into beautiful, nurturing, and enthralling songs that are empathetic and relatable. Her debut album speaks of artistic independence through its scattered emotions, organic instruments, and the tendency to speak the creative truth. It emerges with an identity that is getting widely praised and acknowledged by critics.
Sour is produced by Dan Nigro who is also the co-author of ‘Drivers License’ alongside Rodrigo. The title of the album is also inspired by her life that is filled with surprises and changes in relationships between people with time. The album opens with ‘Brutal’ an explosive note of mall-grunge as the artist takes on the responsibility to expressing her emotional outburst at the time through her music. She remains invested and modest to the music and takes the audience along in this journey of lyrical expressions. A disarming honesty prevails through the record that constantly reminds the audience that they are not alone.
Next in the record comes ‘Traitor’ that talks about a messy break-up. The song is thematically for the teenagers but if you are willing to let your guards down for a few odd minutes, you will not regret it. Following that is ‘Drivers License’ and its piano-backed arrangement. This song is about a girl who drives through the suburban roads and thinks about the ex. The audience is instantly drawn to her whispering voice that has a flutter in it. It may be because she was singing it from a place of empathy. She may be the protagonist but who knows? But the caring whisper does not last long as she rips open with a squalling chorus where she finally finds closure.
‘Déjà Vu’ comprises Olivia’s sweet singing and a chiming rhythm where she is judging a guy as she reuses his moves with a new girl after he has been with the protagonist. ‘Good 4 U’ is a spicy mix with electric guitars where she renders her ex as ‘a damn sociopath’. ‘Jealousy, Jealousy’ constitutes a pacing bass and a rhythmic groove to take you to your own journey of contemplation.
The album on its own is a little piece of Olivia’s heart. However, as a pop album with all its production being considered, it truly stands as an impressive record, and that too a debut. Sour has a sense of restrain. It is something that is often missing in teenage artists. Its reverbs, space, and thematic storytelling all make for a beautiful album that the audience can feel and understand closely. She handles the album in a more mature way than expected and takes the listeners by surprise with the extent of patience and reasonability. It may lack a few instinctive touches but overall emerges with flying colors especially as a debut album by an artist who is just setting out to touch her dreams.
Follow her on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/oliviarodrigo/
