Incoming artist Olivia Rodrigo released her debut album named Sour on May 21st. Coming from the smash success of her released singles: driver’s license, deja vu, and good 4 you, the Disney+ original series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series where she takes the role of Gabriella in the musical production of High School Musical and hasn’t finished high school.
Days leading up to the release of this album, fans can call this phone number, 323-622-SOUR, and it will show the caller to the Sour hotline, where they’ll receive a free taste of a song called enough for you.
This thirty-four minute and forty-six seconds album contains eleven songs.
In a Vevo LIFT, short film Oliva opens up about her writing process and how Sour came to be.
Oliva said, “ I used it as a way to process so many uncomfortable emotions and so many emotions that aren’t really publicly fun or acceptable to express.”
The album starts with a string instrument introduction, then Oliva cuts in and says, “I want it to be like messy,” and rock guitars and drums cut stopped the sweet violins, which is the start of the song brutal. In this song, she talks about how the world is brutal, and it judges her every move.
Track two is traitor talks about how the relationship ended and how he’s a traitor because he talked to another girl while in a relationship with Olivia. With the lyric, “It took you two weeks to go off and date her. Guess you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor.”
Olivia grabs her car keys and starts driving with her drivers’ license. The song talks about Olivia getting her driver’s license, but she’s still thinking about her ex, romanticizing a life with him, and driving through the suburbs to see him.
1 step forward, 3 steps back, talks about her rocky relationship and how with every action, she was walking on eggshells for him. Fans realized this song was written with the help of artists Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff, and the instrumentals sound like one of Taylor Swift’s New Year’s Day.
Track five déjà vu is about the ex and how his new girlfriend is like Olivia. They go to the same places and do the same things Oliva used to with him.
The instrumentals turn back sour with good 4 u. Good 4 u is telling her ex good for you for getting opportunities and forgot about her really quick while Oliva’s been crying on her bathroom floor and hasn’t found closure.
Track seven, enough for you, is about reflecting on the relationship and thinking if she was good enough for him, but she is telling herself that she was the reason for the breakup because she’s not like the other prom queens. Happier reveals Olivia can’t move past her ex because she sees he is happy without her.
Track nine jealousy, jealousy is about her opening up that she is jealous about him being in a relationship. The next track’s favorite crime talks about Olivia thinking about the ex. It compares their relationship to a crime duo and how the duo’s final crime left one heartbroken with four hands bloody the ex and his girlfriend.
The final song on the album, hope ur okay, feels like a warm hug for the listeners. She talks about two friends from her childhood, a boy who played in the marching band and wore long sleeves because of the hardships experienced at home, and a girl who grew up alone and took care of her brothers, but her parents hated whom she loved, another girl. Olivia tells the listener, I hope you’re okay, and that she is proud we were created even when things seem impossible.
Overall, this album is an excellent start to Olivia Rodrigo’s musical career, one in which I rank a 9 out of 10 because of the album’s lyrics conveying a breakup story and how she moved on afterward.