Olivia Rodrigo's 'SOUR' is a Love Letter to Modern Youth

Following the incredible success of her singles “drivers licence” and “deja vu”, Olivia Rodrigo dropped her debut album SOUR on May 21st. Rodrigo is only eighteen years old but has already carved out a unique place for herself on the music scene. Her song “driver’s license” debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has racked up millions of streams. In her debut album, one of the most anticipated albums of the year, Rodrigo plays with numerous genres, all connected by her signature contemporary love ballad style. As we listen, we are taken on a journey of generational anger, tear-jerking heartbreak and Instagram anxiety.

Rodrigo opens the album with the punk-rock-esque track "brutal" which navigates the current generational anxieties surrounding capitalism and the state of the world. She parallels these anxieties with her personal anger and sadness as she sings "And I'm so sick of seventeen, where's my f***ing teenage dream?", a line which portrays Rodrigo's anger for having her teenage years ripped away. Gen Z are constantly being told to enjoy the "golden years" Rodrigo refers to in her song, but she makes it pretty clear here that the societal pressure placed onto teenagers render that impossible. This textured and strong album opener immediately makes clear Rodrigo's hopes of providing comfort for modern youth by mapping out the Gen Z consciousness onto music.

After a bold opener, Rodrigo launches into a series of heartfelt love ballads, all of which capture Rodrigo’s nostalgic style. Fan favourite “traitor” pairs angelic background harmonies with soft lead vocals to express the feeling of doubting if a partner is being faithful. Rodrigo also narrates a toxic relationship in this quartet of heartbreak songs. Although one of the shortest songs on the album, “1 step forward, 3 steps back” is arguably the most important in terms of subject matter; Rodrigo depicts an unhealthy relationship where a lover is very erratic and irrational, changing the way they treat their partner very quickly for no apparent reason. Rodrigo’s lyric “going over everything I said” captures the doubt and second guessing victims of toxic relationships can go through.

The album’s tone swiftly changes from heartbreak into envy. In a spectacular ode to the Instagram generation, “jealousy, jealousy” is a lyrically enigmatic track which captures the pressures Gen Z face in order to live that Instagram-perfect lifestyle. With an upbeat melody, Rodrigo sings “com-comparison is killin' me slowly” to reference how young people compare themselves to others - including their bodies, wealth and happiness - based on a curated social media presence. The bridge, arguably the highlight of the song, uses Rodrigo’s muted but punchy vocals to state “I wanna be you so bad and I don't even know you”. For the modern youth, this line sums up the process of seeing someone on Instagram and becoming so jealous to the point where you want their life, their clothes, their car and their friends. Rodrigo taps into a generational anxiety of measuring success based on how the world, or more specially social media, perceives you.

Most of SOUR's tracks have already dominated TikTok, with 2.2 million videos using the electric rock anthem "good 4 u" as an audio. Rodrigo blends her signature love ballad style with rock influences to create a track that is perfect for screaming in anger when alone. Millennials on Twitter have joked about being happily married but still feeling anger at an imaginary lover when listening to this song, and it is not hard to see why. Punctuated by heavy drums and layered vocals full of rage, the chorus is perfect to dance and scream along to alone in your room like in an early 2000s teen movie, even when those teenage years have long passed in reality. It is this ability to unite people of all ages in the feeling of teen heartbreak and anger that has been so vital to the success of “good 4 u”.