Spog 𝄞

Album by Olivia Rodrigo - Released 12th July 2026

Listened to: 13th July 2026

── ⋆⋅ᢉ𐭩⋅⋆ ──

Rating: 8.5/10

would listen again ദ്ദി(❀❛ ֊ ❛) ♬⋆.˚

── ⋆⋅ᢉ𐭩⋅⋆ ──

you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love was honestly a really good listening experience, and I think it's my new favourite Olivia Rodrigo album. It sounds very beautiful and feels so vulnerable, yet still fun at times.

With the successful singles, drop dead and the cure, the album was already highly anticipated, and I feel it has lived up to said anticipation. I've enjoyed Olivia Rodrigo's past releases, but I haven't ever understood, appreciated or related her work as much as I do with this.

The narrative progression in the track order is so poetic, with the album split into two distinct halves that work together really well. As usual, her amazing vocals were such a highlight, but overall, her lyricism and storytelling was truly the most personally impactful aspect of the album for me.

── ⋆⋅ᢉ𐭩⋅⋆ ──

Listening to the whole album in order showcases the clear story being told. It takes the listener through the progression of a whole romantic relationship from the crush stage to the painful end.

In the first songs, drop dead and stupid song, Olivia paints the picture of an agonising crush with the lyrics describing an intense yearning which can feel both blissful and painful. These songs are such a fantastic way to start the album, they're both some of my favourites. Continuing on, we get to the honeybee, which is a beautiful, genuine love song that shows a hopeful but almost apprehensive prayer that the relationship will last. Skipping forward, u + me = <3 brings the listener to the dreamy and euphoric aspect of being completely in love. It's a great up-tempo pop track that sounds exactly how exciting, young love feels. Later, purple follows along by describing how the two in the relationship have been fully integrated into each others lives.

Then we get to the cure, which is a clear, immediate, shift into the second half on the album. It's not describing a blissful love anymore. Instead, it shares how doubt and mental health are impacting the relationship. Following this is begged, which is a vulnerable song showing the hurt of feeling stuck in a relationship that keeps hurting you. Similar themes of the relationship falling apart come up in the songs, what's wrong with me and less, which are both so impactful. Finally, we have cigarette smoke, which is a gut-wrenching song about resenting and regretting the relationship after its over. This song is the perfect, painful end to the story.

── ⋆⋅ᢉ𐭩⋅⋆ ──

My personal favourite songs are stupid song, begged, cigarette smoke

stupid song perfectly encapsulates the feeling of a painful crush, and the consuming frustration of yearning for someone. The song has such a great movement to it that makes it very fun to listen to despite the frustration in the lyrics, which is honestly such an enjoyable experience. Olivia's vocals are shining of course, her tone in the chorus has this sort-of wanting behind it, which makes it a relatable song to sing along to. The progression from the verses to the choruses have this increase or swell in dynamic and texture that represents the increasing frustration of having a bad crush. It's honestly a great crash out song that stays fun.

begged is just so beautiful and saddening. It begins with just vocals and acoustic guitar, which lets the lyricism and story be the focus. This might be my favourite on the album because the lyrics about feeling obligated to stay in a painful relationship affect me and make me reminisce on some of my own past experiences. Its all just so poetic and complex. I adore Olivias vocal delivery on the melody. You can hear the emotion behind every word she's singing. Additionally, the vocal harmonies are stunning, and they perfectly compliment the lyrical themes and contribute to the mood of the song.

cigarette smoke is another one that affects me, similarly to begged. It is one hell of a way to end the album. After the upbeat and fun vibe of expectations, it’s really a bit of a sucker-punch. The lyrics about the feeling of deeply resenting and regretting a relationship are very hard-hitting. This is especially impactful being on the same album as begged, which is about feeling unable to leave. cigarette smoke acts as a follow-up, now that she has hindsight. The lyrics also call back to honeybee, which is such an impactful, painful and thematically relevant thing to hear when listening to the album in order. The acoustic guitar, vocals and strings continue to be beautifully emotional in this song. The moving string part in the latter part of the song swells and strikes an emotional chord along with the vocals that grow more intense throughout. Then to wrap it up, the song fades out on the lyric "the memories go dark," which is a fantastic and somewhat bittersweet instance of word painting.

── ⋆⋅ᢉ𐭩⋅⋆ ──

Quick notes:

I absolutely adore the visuals of this album, the beautiful and distinct pastel colours with the vintage elements are perfect branding.

I adore the few instances of chromaticism across the album; they all hit in an uncomfortable yet enjoyable way.

purple has some beautifully off-putting non-diatonic harmony that feels like its foreshadowing the second half of the album.

The drop dead lyric, "Pisces and Gemini, but I think we might go really nice together" almost feels like ironic foreshadowing in hindsight as those zodiac signs are said to be somewhat conflicting.

Casually having Robert Smith feature on a song is so awesome

expectations reminded me of Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl by Chappell Roan! I quite liked it.

I can hear some inspiration coming from bands like The Smiths coming through in a lot of the up-tempo songs, and I really like that!

I didn't mention much of expectations or my way in the review but I do enjoy them both!

── ⋆⋅ᢉ𐭩⋅⋆ ──

I overall really love the sound and story of this album. The more I listen to it, the more I'm finding things I really like! It was genuinely difficult to pick which songs to focus on in this review, since theres so many great ones. I adore how everything is thematically tied and cohesive within the narrative being told. So many of these songs immediately went in my playlists and you will definitely catch me sobbing to them later (begged and cigarette smoke wrecked me).

As usual, theres SOOOO more I could say, especially about the more technical/specific musical elements and etc, but I can't fit much more here. If you'd like to hear more, my ask box is always open!!

── ⋆⋅ᢉ𐭩⋅⋆ ──

Thank you so much for reading this far! I appreciate it so much. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have any you'd like to share.

i think its alright, so id really appreciate if anyone would like to read it :))

off the wall or thriller?

(i cant decide so im asking the masses lmao)

so there’s a moment in the musical “Come From Away” where Hannah, the mother of the kid who’s a firefighter, she says, “I’m telling you, listen, my son, he takes risks. He’s not missing; he’s helping or hurt.” I believe it’s in the song “I Am Here”.

which like… kinda hit me?? Like this woman has watched him grow up, has RAISED him, has probably SEEN him take risks, has potentially stayed beside him in a hospital room or helped heal his burns or scrapes from accidents or falls or other dangerous sitches. I know CFA is based on real people, so the fact that this is real somehow makes it even more painful to think about. She KNOWS her son. She KNOWS that he’s out there helping people. And she can’t do a damn thing.

it’s just… idk. It’s one of those like, moments, that really make me appreciate come from away because it’s so raw emotionally. Not only is the music an absolute bop (“I am an islander, I’m an islander”) but the sheer emotion behind the lyrics and dialogue really reminds you of the tragedy of this day.

I was born after 9/11 but some days I feel like I’ve vicariously seen it bc of stories like these. Naturally nothing will compare to sheer horror that these people went thru, and I am so deeply sorry for all those lives. Reminds me how to precious life is. (“So many stories, just gone.”)