Olivia Rodrigo – You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love

Beyond the noise that inevitably surrounds a pop star like Olivia Rodrigo, the most revealing aspect of her long-awaited return—despite the misplaced chirping it has attracted—is the music itself. Moving past the brash pop-punk of GUTS, Rodrigo leans into an ’80s alternative pulse that matches the bittersweet feelings it evokes.

Unlike artists who deliberately mine from vintage trends, Rodrigo has no intention of courting the approval of older tastemakers. Her choices are very much her own, and even with a friend like Robert Smith of the Cure by her side, little here echoes that band’s signature gloomy dirges. Except for the lovely jangle-pop of “u + me = <3,” which bears a passing resemblance to the giddy sugar rush of “In Between Days,” the album never lets its ringing bass tones and airy guitar flourishes overshadow the main attraction here: Rodrigo’s hushed yet commanding vocal range.

“Begged,” in particular, is a revelation. Revealing aching honesty in her yearning, Rodrigo feels the weight of enduring a relationship that slowly drifts apart over a patient, fingerpicked acoustic lullaby. But there are also little touches of humour, like on “Maggots for Brains,” in which she lightens a heavy heart with some healthy self-deprecation so she can move forward: “Somehow it’s the weekend, I am bored out of my skull.” The bouncy synth-pop of “Expectations” also comes out of left field, as she expresses feeling underwhelmed with the pool of disappointing men she meets in one of Los Angeles’ most affluent hipster-friendly neighbourhoods. Her playful singspeak is written with such specificity that it has to be true: “Don't think my future husband’s at this bar in Silver Lake.”

Every so often, Rodrigo allows her diaristic instincts to take over, resulting in broader generalisations that lack her proven wit. Her collaboration with Smith, “What’s Wrong With Me,” doesn’t quite live up to the top billing in that respect. Aside from a few unmemorable ballads—the sparse, piano-led “Less” is an exception late on the album—Rodrigo deftly navigates the difficult task of regaining her sense of wholeness when not everything in her life has to make the most sense.

You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love is out now via Geffen.