A Track-By-Track Review Of ‘SOUR’ By Olivia Rodrigo

At only 18, Olivia Rodrigo probably would have been forgiven for letting her meteoric rise to viral fame go to her head. Instead, her newly-released debut album SOUR is pretty down-to-earth, opting for a more stripped-back, bedroom pop approach on a lot of tracks. There’s quite a lot by way of genre cross-pollination happening throughout the album too, which is largely handled by producer Dan Nigro, who I was very impressed with after listening to this and am now in love with after finding out he produced ‘When I Needed You’ by Carly Rae Jepsen.

The lyrics here largely revolve around Olivia’s breakup with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star Joshua Bassett – a relationship that went from relative obscurity to hot cultural debate on social media following the release of the album’s lead single, ‘drivers license’. Given this, it’s surprising how effective the album’s emotional angle is.  

Which songs tug at the heart strings? Which songs will have you scream-singing along with them in your room? Read this track-by-track rundown of the album by a guy who is very far from Olivia’s key demographic to find out.

brutal

Truly a double-whammy of an opener, with an enchanting string section introducing the track before a pummelling riff takes over. I can’t help but think of Rogue Trader’s iconic ‘05 single ‘Voodoo Child’ (or, if I may be a little pretentious, the original sample of ‘Pump It Up’ by Elvis Costello the Traders used) every time I hear said riff, but Olivia rides the instrumental exceptionally well, channelling a lot of angst and desperation into her vocals. Those quirky harmonies in the chorus add the extra bit of bitterness the song needed.

It’s also very cool that people who can’t parallel park (e.g. me) have an anthem now. 

traitor

This seems to have quickly become one of the more beloved tracks on the album, and I’m having a hard time understanding why. The lyrics in the bridge pack a poignant punch, especially when paired with that heavy bass line, but the rest of the song suffers from throwaway melodies and a snoozer of an instrumental. It’s one of the few tracks on the album that reeks of the overly gloomy, reverb-abusing pop ballads that plagued the charts in the 2010’s. 

drivers licence

I’ve seen a lot of people have a go at this song for being far too ‘melodramatic’ for a song about teenage heartbreak, but what, pray tell, is teenage heartbreak if not an overwhelmingly devastating experience that makes you feel like nothing could ever possibly be as awful as getting dumped? I think this track captures that feeling perfectly, and centring the lyrics around a significant coming-of-age moment that Olivia was hoping to experience with her ex drives (ha) that emotion home even more.

There’s nothing too spectacular going on here musically, but Olivia’s powerhouse vocal performance and the chord progression leading up to the end of the chorus are definitely the highlights of the track for me. If you don’t like this song now, keep in mind that it helps if you’ve gone through a breakup semi-recently. At least that’s what I heard from a friend. 

1 step forward, 3 steps back

A depressing look at a toxic and disorienting relationship backed by a modest piano instrumental, which is saved from becoming too one-note by a subtle synth build-up before the final chorus. The time signature change moving into and then back out of the chorus makes the transitions between sections a touch awkward, but not enough to completely derail the song. I found it somewhat strange that this is the only song on SOUR with a narrative that takes place prior to the breakup. A more chronological approach to the album’s overarching story might have given it a little more emotional impact, but that’s mostly a nitpick stemming from personal preference. 

deja vu

Those. Fucking. DRUMS. I love how rough and off-kilter they are for a pop song, and the exact same can be said for the distorted, octave-jumping Mellotron line in the post-chorus. Those grittier elements contrast quite beautifully with how sweet the opening instrumentation and vocals are, which makes the borderline chaos of the song’s ending even more hard-hitting. The harmonised shouts that close out the song, though obviously indebted to ‘Cruel Summer’ by Taylor Swift, are a fantastic final blow. 

good 4 U

As much as I do like this album, I really wish it channelled more of the energy that’s on this track. With all the 2000s pop-punk fetishism going on at the moment, it’s great to hear a take on that style that, for one, Is legitimately catchy; two, blends in modern production elements tastefully; and, three, is written by someone who’s actually in their teens and not a 30-year-old cosplaying as an e-boy. Olivia’s singing on this track could honestly go toe-to-toe with some of Hayley William’s best vocal performances from Paramore’s discography. This song is just pure infectious vitriol, and I am 100% here for it. 

enough for you

I don’t have a lot to say about this, except that it’s a gloomy but pleasant folky cut with some likeable electronic ornamentation. So I’ll take a sidebar and say I got slightly concerned when Olivia mentioned reading her ex’s “self-help books / So you’d think that I was smart”. Is Joshua Bassett reading 12 Rules for Life? Are we getting a conservative Joshua Bassett storyline soon? Is Joshua Bassett going to go on the Joe Rogan podcast? Anyway, this song made me think of Midsommar for some reason.

happier

The strings are back! They sound lovely on this song, especially towards the end where they heighten the mid-20th century pop influence that’s so prevalent on the track. I’m not a huge fan of how stiff and flattened the chorus sounds though, and I think the synthetic percussion really drains the life out of the song at times. I’m somewhat conflicted on the lyrics too, but I mostly like that it’s a self-aware manifestation of some of the more selfish feelings you have after a breakup. 

jealousy, jealousy

That’s one chunky bass line. At the risk of sounding like a sociopath, I like how this song and ‘Brutal’ highlight the much larger insecurities that Olivia’s feelings regarding the breakup and her ex’s new relationship stem from. There’s a really cool sense of tension-building throughout the track with all the various layers that get added, like the flickering synth in the second verse and the noisy guitar work that’s heard in the following chorus.

To top it off, the bridge on this song is just so deliciously sour (there was no other word), with its unpredictable piano line, fuzzy vocals and spluttering guitars.  

favourite crime

Of SOUR’s two indie folk-esque ballads, this is the better one by far. Some of my favourite vocal harmonies on the album turn up on this song, and Olivia jumping up the octave on the final chorus is an immensely powerful moment. The song’s lyrics gives the album’s breakup narrative a nice sense of finality, though the crime metaphor is maybe stretched a bit too thin. I also wish we heard much more of that wall of saxophones that fades in at the end of the second and third chorus, because it’s a stunning addition for as short-lived as it is. 

hope ur ok

There’s a super strong Melodrama-era Lorde influence on this one, especially in the wistful melodies and mammoth percussion heard in the bridge. It’s a little bit off-putting, but it doesn’t undercut how touching the song is. One could probably take a quick glance at the lyrics and compare it to schlocky inspiration anthems like Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’, but there’s a personal angle to this track that elevates it past that category and makes its sentiments feel much more genuine.

After listening to this album, I hope you’re ok too, Olivia. It does kinda gets better.