you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love 2026
It's not a competition, but if I had to name my favorite pop star of the decade, perhaps even the definitive one, it would have to be Olivia Rodrigo. What I love most about her is her voice. And I don't just mean her lovely singing voice, though that's certainly nice to listen to; I mean the character and personality that shine through in her songwriting. That's always been true, and it's what made her earlier albums so memorable, but on her third, it really feels like she's come into her own. I love the concept: tracing a romantic relationship from its thrilling, chaotic beginnings all the way to its bitter, resigned end. Moments in the first half that seem more or less innocuous at first (e.g., "maggots for brains") reveal deeper meaning on a relisten. They get recontextualized like the cracks in a relationship that you only notice after the breakup, the ones you were oblivious to at the time. Every song here, literally every one, is so catchy, and not just the hooks, but the verses too. It's seriously impressive how many earworms Olivia and producer Dan Nigro managed to pack onto a single album. If there's one gripe I have with this album, and with Olivia's songwriting in general, it's that her lyrics can sometimes feel a little less compelling than the music around them demands. I've seen her talk in interviews a lot about specificity being a tool used for conveying emotion, and I agree that specificity can be effective when it's deployed well, but there are moments here and there where a more poetic line would have landed better. That small quibble aside, every track here is an absolute banger. "less" may be her best ballad, "expectations" may be her catchiest upbeat track, and "stupid song" may be the best thing she's ever written. Her authenticity always comes through, and it's a true joy to hear her grow as an artist with each new release. High 8 - Low 9/10
