Why Men Should Listen to Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo has just showed the world that she has a lot more bite than we thought.

An immersion into her latest record, you seem pretty sad for a girl in love, harnessing themes that are universally resonant both sonically and lyrically at a level that surpasses any of her other albums up to this point.

Consider this review/commentary on her stellar new LP as a case for men to drop the coyness and bump their heads to some alt-rock goodness from the surging Fil-Am superstar.

ALSO READ:

This is Your Porter Robinson Starter Kit for &Friends Manila

Oliver Tree: Beyond The Bowl Cut and Larger-Than-Life Character

We weren't kidding when we declared this as her most mature and sonically compelling record to date, as it reminds us a lot of our favorite and most transformative rock bands of the late 1980s, 1990s, and into the 2000s.

Think of the high-speed guitar chugs, soaring vocals from the Foo Fighters, the melodic and glossy sheen from The Cure, and the gritty garage rock flair from the Strokes.

Rodrigo's new record packages all these influences into a very accessible and fresh vehicle that makes for repeat listening potential deep into the year.

Take the song "maggots for brains" for instance. The sparkly and simultaneously lo-fi aesthetic on the guitars is very The Strokes-esque, which fits Rodrigo's musings on extreme lovesickness and codependency. This tune would be a shoo-in for online fancam videos for Nikki from the smash-hit thriller of the summer, Obsession.

The album's most commercially successful single,"the cure," speaks of a universal truth that a lot of men face: wrestling with depression and anxiety while being in a healthy relationship. Don't expect tenny-bopper/Disney Channel original movie atmospheres from Rodrigo as she doubles down and cranks her moodiness and post-punk proclivities to 11.

The album, which Rodrigo classified as a concept record, doesn't bog itself down into mere impressions of these genres and styles as it blends its nostalgic tone with refreshing honesty and her charismatic execution of each track.

"cigarette smoke" is Rodrigo at her most brutal thematically, lingering on a lost relationship in a pretty pathetic way, all in front of a tastefully performed song wrapped in an 80s sheen. Rodrigo taps into a lower and more intimate vocal style as she sings as a person who is close to breaking emotionally and mentally. This also is a breath of fresh air in a pop album as it goes folksy in a way that isn't another Taylor Swift cosplay. The vocal mixing here and the layering that evokes a hollow feeling are magical moments in the record for the depth they pull off for a pop song.

"u + me = <3" is one of the brighter and warmer tracks, as it reminds us a lot of The 1975's "Me & You Together Song" with its boisterous, clean guitar sounds, and uplifting atmosphere. This sounds a lot like Olivia listening to "Just Like Heaven" and wanting to make her own jangly throwback tune.

Rodrigo has come a long way from the simplistic concepts and instrumentation from the dramatic pop anthems from her debut and sophomore LPs, Sour and Guts.

Though, one knock on this latest project is the verbose title that I can't familiarize myself myself with even over the course of writing this piece.

The lead single "drop dead" kicks off the album as a pretty endearing moment but throws you for a loop in the bridge with a pretty gnarly guitar breakdown. Other than that, it's actually one of our least favorites, as it sounds too similar to cuts from her contemporaries like Chappell Roan's stylistic tendencies.

"stupid song" is THE modern upgrade of a prototypical Olivia Rodrigo song, with producer Dan Nigro sprinkling a lot more oomph and layers to a lot of these tracks, such as the inclusions of indietronic elements such as phased-out guitars and sweet discordant drum beats.

"honeybee" is another power ballad that has a lot more orchestral potential and does a lot for the development of the narrative of alienation and anxiety-ridden love for the entirety of the record.

"my way" is Rodrigo actually accomplishing the raw punk rock cut she's been meaning to express in Guts.

Rodrigo recently confessed her lifelong obsession with Weezer, specifically the glitchier and fizzy Pinkerton album, and we can see her glitchier preferences throughout the record.

"expectations" is where she embraces the intentionally fuzzy nature of bands like New Order and other new wave pioneers of the 80s.

This stellar album is a screeching declaration that Rodrigo isn't constrained to the cookie-cutter pop tracks she first rose to fame with. While I also loved her more straightforward pop projects, there is a major leap in enjoyability for me as a regular dude who used to bump to her as a guilty pleasure. As her tastes align more with my tastes and probably a lot of discerning music listeners' libraries, we expect more men to unabashedly have Rodrigo on loop for the foreseeable future.

READ MORE:

Steve Lacy Might Have the Song of The Season With "the feeling"

Are We Ready for a Steve Lacy Filipino Homecoming Gig at LaLaLaFest in Manila?

Why you Should be Checking out Turnstile

Tyler, The Creator was That Guy in Manila