From 2016 to 2020, Olivia Rodrigo was best known as an actor in the Disney fray with starring roles on Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. But when the latter show served as a flagship debut for Disney Plus and allowed Rodrigo the space to write songs for herself, it was clear that there was immense talent percolating behind her.
That all exploded in early January 2021 when she released “Drivers License” and shattered myriad music records. As a result, Rodrigo got into the studio quickly and produced her debut album, SOUR, an eleven-track, influence-laden, Taylor Swift-approved, no skips-included banger of an LP. Clearly, a pop star to be reckoned with for a long time to come, it’s time to unpack SOUR.
11 Enough For You
Most pop albums have a few tracks that can be skipped with no concerns. On SOUR, though, every song has immense merit. To be ranked last here is to be ranked first on most other pop debut albums. But SOUR is just too good from top to bottom.
“Enough for You” is a great song on its own. The thematic territory just feels a little well-trod for Rodrigo at this point. Of course, ballads are her forte and it’s still a welcome inclusion to kick off the back half of the album.
10 Hope Ur OK
In an album filled with Gen Z-specific tracks, “Hope Ur OK” might be the most prominent one. It’s filled with an accepting maturity and a sense of self-reflection that makes for a surprising note to end the album on.
It also shows great promise for Rodrigo going forward. It can be hard to follow up an acclaimed and popular debut, but “Hope Ur OK” shows she has plenty of angles left to cover.
9 Happier
Sometimes, a pop album just needs a good waltz track. On “Happier,” Rodrigo’s voice seems to dance with the lilting nature of her lyrics, matching perfectly with Dan Nigro’s piano production.
Not to mention, “Happier” has fun with a newer perspective on a break-up: the hope that someone can be happy, even if they’re not quite as happy as they were in the previous relationship.
8 Deja Vu
Many have speculated that SOUR is about Rodrigo’s HSM co-star, Joshua Bassett, with this song being among the most obvious pieces of evidence. (Bassett cites Billy Joel as an influence and “Deja Vu” name drops “Uptown Girl.”)
But “Deja Vu” also completely stands on its own to be relatable to anyone who listens. A bridge that seems to evoke Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” idyllic imagery of strawberry ice cream, a thought-provoking hook. It was a great choice for a single.
7 1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back
Speaking of Taylor Swift, “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” samples directly from “New Year’s Day,” a beautiful song from the Jack Antonoff-produced Reputation album. That piano melody immediately centers listeners into an open-hearted place.
The concept of having more bad days than good in a relationship is also all too unfamiliar, especially for people who’ve been stuck in a long-distance relationship during the pandemic. Rodrigo’s voice glides over the instrumentation to create a charming, if not twee, song.
6 Brutal
“Drivers License” may have been the first song anyone heard from SOUR, but if listeners went into the album unaware of anything to do with Rodrigo, “Brutal” would be a shock to the senses.
Clearly influenced by Fiona Apple and No Doubt, “Brutal” distills all of Rodrigo’s anxieties and stresses into an absolute ripper of an opening song. “And I hate every song I write / And I’m not cool and I’m not smart / And I can’t even parallel park.” With just a few, emotionally charged words, Rodrigo might have crafted an anthem for a generation.
5 Drivers License
Of course, “Drivers License” is likely to be the song Rodrigo plays at every concert of hers for the rest of her life. It’s a career-defining track on scales of immense popularity, acclaim, and the general sense of “Where did this icon come from?”
Yet, Rodrigo is still only eighteen years old and has so much left to accomplish. Even though the bridge is an impeccable all-timer, “Drivers License” might just be an appetizer of all that’s to come for the new pop star.
4 Favorite Crime
“Favorite Crime” might just be the song on SOUR that utilizes Rodrigo’s voice the best. There’s not an immense range on it, but the peaks she is tasked with vocally climbing in just two and a half minutes are astounding and gorgeous.
It’s a perfect metaphor for a relationship (think along the lines of Swift’s “Getaway Car”) and it just suits Rodrigo’s talents so well. A stripped-down version of this song should definitely be kept in mind for potential album expansions and bonus tracks.
3 Traitor
Speaking of gorgeous, the backing vocals on “Traitor” might be among the most soaring elements on SOUR. After the rip-roaring affair of “Brutal,” “Traitor” swoops in to remind listeners just how deep-seated the emotions on the album are.
“Guess you didn’t cheat / But you’re still a traitor” flies to the aesthetic highs of the album, but “God I wish that you had thought this through / Before I went and fell in love with you” is a moment where every feeling of Rodrigo’s is laid bare on the song.
2 Good 4 U
The most recent single from SOUR (so far), “Good 4 U” has to be considered an early contender for some Grammy awards and year-end “Best Of” lists. A clear bastion of pop-punk jams, “Good 4 U” demonstrated that Rodrigo’s voice could go to any territory and her musical sensibility could reach any pop style.
The electricity in her delivery of “I’ve lost my mind, I’ve spent the night” is part of what makes “Good 4 U” such an earworm. It’s the kind of song that demands the replay button over and over again. It’s also a well-done yin/yang with “Enough for You,” which demonstrates the other side to her music at the moment.
1 Jealousy, Jealousy
“Jealousy, Jealousy” may not be the best vocal showcase on SOUR and it might not have the best bridge or the most complicated lyrics. Yet, what it does have is the combination of every element that makes a fantastic song and not a single element of it is lacking.
The charge is all here, too. Rodrigo’s youthful, “I have so many things to say right now” energy comes through in every line, building to a bursting-with-authenticity bridge. Try not to feel simultaneously amped and crushed by “All I see is what I should be / Happier, prettier, jealousy, jealousy.” It’s the best song on an album that’s filled with great ones.
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