So it's no surprise that lead off single, drop dead, gives off massive The Cure vibes. The euphoric ecstasy of discovering new love described in the lyrics and soaring post-chorus synth line are so Just Like Heaven or High; but The Cure is not the only touchpoint that the song draws from. The rambly, talk-sung second verse evokes Wolf Alice's Don't Delete The Kisses, and Dan Nigro's glitzy 80's production recalls his work with Olivia's close friend Chappell Roan. I'll admit that the song took a little while to grow on me, as the dense, wordy chorus was not as immediately catchy as some of her previous singles; but as I sunk my teeth into it, the song is great pop song and a great opening track to set up the album and it's narrative. That narrative, as you could probably guess from the record's title, is not just the tale of falling in love and living happily ever after; but the breakdown and unravelling of the relationship as things start to fall apart. The sequencing of the album splits it into two halves: the opening 'girl so in love' and the second half titled 'you seem pretty sad'. This gives the record a really strong narrative and throughline that sets it a cut above Olivia's previous albums before a note has even been played.
What is really clever about yspsfagsil (that's an acronym and a half!) is that the cracks and eventual demise of this relationship is foreshadowed in the lovesongs of the opening half. drop dead features little hints of obsessive infatuation in the lyrics and the whole vibe of the song is so sickly sweet that it's a little uncanny. The following track, stupid song, follows a similar path. The song starts as a stripped back piano ballad, but just builds an builds the layers and intensity to a point that feels once again a little obsessive and a tad unhinged. Olivia's run-on vocal delivery and the immense dynamics of the song remind me of the best (and most melodramatic) Lorde tracks. It's only when we get to the following track, honeybee, that the album finally lets up for a little bit of a breather. The song is a slowburning, lovesick piano ballad. On a musical level it is probably the most straightup and least interestingly presented song on the album, but lyrically and vocally, Olivia's performance really commands your attention. The topic of feeling completely inseparable without your partner and couldn't even imagine how you'd cope without them around again foreshadows the future unravelling of the relationship when it is placed this early on within the album's narrative.
The melodrama eases up a little with the next two tracks, being a duo of pop-era Cure infused new wave and jangle pop tunes that on the surface, present themselves as a lot more fun and carefree than the manic intensity of the first few tracks. However peeling back the layers and reading into the lyrics further pushes the narrative and throughline of the record. maggots for brains, not only being so damn catchy (this kind of power pop / jangle pop song is like crack to me), also has really clever and detailed lyrics about feeling lost and directionless when your significant other is apart from you for whatever reason. Quite literally like having maggots for brains. u + me = <3 is the closest the album gets to pure, unadulterated romance; and probably the only track that can be taken out of the narrative and genuinely be spun as an entirely positive love song. It doesn't quite hit the pure, unbridled ecstasy of Just Like Heaven or Friday I'm in Love, but Olivia gives it her best shot and gets pretty close in my opinion.
The last two tracks of the girl so in love half is where the lovesick narrative starts to turn and go sour (pun intended). my way is a sassy 2000's pop rock banger that reminds me of the likes of The Veronicas, The Cardigans, or even The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It's a vicious and petty takedown of a partners ex, and highlights how despite how apparently in love Olivia is with this person and how she is claiming that they're a perfect match, she still feels threatened by someone from their past. The driving beat and roaring guitars give it a sense of vitality (and immaturity) that really sells the point she's at in this stage of the relationship. purple closes out the first half and really acts as the fulcrum that the narrative hinges on. The lyrics initially read as more infatuation with this person, but as the song progresses Olivia comes to the realisation that she is losing herself in her partner and they are becoming too intertwined and co-dependant. His red and her blue merging together to become purple as she puts it in the chorus. The muted, synth driven instrumental is equally mushy and undefined - and really highlights that this relationship is not exactly how Olivia has been telling herself it is on the record up to this point.
The you seem pretty sad side of the record opens up with a bang with the albums second single, the cure. Despite its name, its one of the lesser Cure sounding songs on the album. The track is more indebted to 90's alt rock, picking up queues from Foo Fighter and The Smashing Pumpkins. It is a patient and slowburning power-ballad that layers up the strings and the drama on what at the time of release was Olivia's longest song by a fair margin (and is only beaten by the closing track cigarette smoke). The song plays into the themes of feeling broken and unfixable, and that no matter how hard her partner tries, their love will never be enough. It really sets the tone for the raw and unguarded emotionality of the second half of the record.
The majority of the back end consists of subtler, more stripped back acoustic guitar and piano ballads, which historically I've felt have been the weaker moments on Olivia's past releases. However that is not the case here, as the lyricism on these tracks is stellar and leaves you feeling every gut punch with Olivia. begged tells the tale of Olivia becoming increasingly frustrated with her partners lack of attention and effort, and that the little that they are doing is poisoned by the fact that she's had to beg even for the bare minimum. less goes one step further, really going into excruciating detail about this relationships misgivings and that if loving her means letting her go, then she'd rather be loved by him less. It's such painful and somewhat bitter take on love and relationships which is often overlooked in pop music, where a breakup is magically goes from 'oh I'm so sad about losing this person' to 'well I'm better than them anyway' at the flip of a switch.
The track what's wrong with me sits in between those two songs, and is the point where all the Cure-isms come to a head with a feature from Robert Smith himself. The song itself isn't particularly Cure-y from a sonic standpoint, but the melancholic mood and general vibe of the song definitely is. The track perfectly captures the romantic apocalyptic-ism of tracks like Pictures of You and Letters to Elise. The song is so beautifully written and the two sound fantastic together. Olivia's youthful earnestness is perfectly balanced by Smith's world-weary voice, making the track transcend being a modern pop song into something more timeless.
The penultimate track expectations brings back some energy to the record, being this quirky, dance-y new-wave banger about going back out into the world after the breakup, trying to meet new people at parties etc. Olivia's snark has come back, taking potshots at the low effort guys with 'fake jobs' and living off their parents money. The crunchy synth lines and whacky backing vocals from pals Chappell Roan and Conan Grey make the track just so much fun and the perfect antidote to the sadness of the second half of the record. That optimism is short lived, however, as the closer cigarette smoke returns back to the breakup and that Olivia still has a long way to come; reflecting that these things aren't linier and some relationships will leave scars that last a long time. The track also has some lyrical call backs to previous moments on the album so really feels like it rounds the record off in a nice and cohesive (if pretty downright sad) way.
you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is a fantastically written and produced pop album. I'm enjoying it more and more with every listen. Yes it might be sonically walking well trodden ground with it's new wave and pop rock inspirations, the tight and intricate narrative of the album makes me really feel like it doesn't matter. Olivia is in a different league to her contemporaries that she's so often compared to, and after the way this record has turned out, she could do whatever she wants for her next release and probably pull it off.
Top Tracks: drop dead, stupid song, maggots for brains, u + me = <3, my way, purple, the cure, begged, what's wrong with me, less, expectations, cigarette smoke
9/10
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