Music Review: Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’ is her best work yet

NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Olivia Rodrigo’s done it again. Her third album, “You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” is her best yet — a giant step forward for the songwriter who emerged a promising young talent before she could even parallel park.

Across 13 tracks, Rodrigo telegraphs the story of a romance — from a first date to its dissolution, with a lot of self-realization along the way. It’s a concept album about a first big love — one that dares to dive into the revelation that sometimes the greatest mirror is revealing yourself to another.

The world’s introduction to Rodrigo arrived with the power ballad heard ‘round the world: 2021’s smash “drivers license,” leading to her spirited power pop-punk debut, “SOUR.” Then came “GUTS,” a musical maturation from an artist entering her 20s, and an acute reminder that there are few forces more potent than a young creative woman’s dissatisfaction — if she so chooses to wield it.

And she did, like on the Babes In Toyland-esq. “All-American Bitch,” inspired by Joan Didion’s “The White Album,” or “Pretty Isn’t Pretty,” with its dreamy guitar tones that recalled The Cure. That song might’ve been the best indication of what was to come. The first single from her latest album, “Drop Dead,” name-checks the ‘80s band’s best-known love song, “Just Like Heaven.” The second was titled “The Cure,” with its orchestral strings and an explosive bridge. And the third song, revealed onstage at Barcelona’s Primavera Festival just ahead of the album’s release? Her first-ever collaboration, “What’s Wrong with Me,” a duet with The Cure mastermind Robert Smith. The Cure’s lush guitar tones are also heard on the standout “Maggots for Brains” — gothic love songs, Rodrigo’s got a few.

On “You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” she once again teamed up with principal collaborator Dan Nigro, and their partnership has been further refined. Their productions, now more complicated, nuanced and vibrant with the addition of elements like string arrangements, have a sort of ease of presentation: His emo guitars are still heard on “Purple,” now delivered with multi-track harmonics. Her playful expressions of girlhood crushing remain intact; now through ‘90s jangly guitar pop influences (“u + me = 3,” an easy contender for one of the best songs she’s ever written.)

But there’s a lot of exciting new territory here. The cheerleading cadence of the synth-y “My Way” evokes the punk sounds of Kathleen Hanna’s Le Tigre project. By the time Rodrigo reaches her “Expectations” on track 12, she’s pulling from the New Romantics movement’s ebullient synths and robotic vocals in a cheeky tune about hooking up with Mr. Wrong to realize it’s time for Mr. Right.

At every corner, there’s something to celebrate. When Rodrigo cheers “Nobody’s wanted somebody more” in the Swiftian refrain on the ballad fake out “Stupid Song,” she ascends. Those wanting her delicate moments will want to zoom to the piano-forward “Honeybee,” which features choirlike background vocals, partially courtesy her friend Conan Gray — or the acoustic “Begged,” with its overdubbed vocal harmonies. Or even the broken “Less,” with its clever devastation. But it’s the big feeling up-tempo moments listeners will want to live within.

There are no unimpeachable formulas in music, but there is a widely held belief that a first album is an introduction — the one an artist has their whole life to work on — the second builds off the first and the third is a moment of catharsis. Ideally, on that record, they’ve arrived at a more evolved version of who they’ve worked to become. Nothing is so simple, of course, but Rodrigo seems to be a shining example. She seems pretty self-actualized, for a girl so open to falling hard.

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“You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” by Olivia Rodrigo

Four and a half stars out of five.

On repeat: “u + me = 3,” “Maggots for Brains,” “The Cure”

Skip it: “Honeybee”

For fans of: Guitar pop, big hooks, bigger heart