Image Credits: Photo taken by Chad Moore, Copyright owned by © 2026 Olivia Rodrigo, under exclusive license to Geffen Records via Spotify
Over the summer, on June 12, 2026, Olivia Rodrigo released her highly anticipated third studio album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” and already it has been record breaking, making her the second artist to have an album debut with over 80 million streams. Ever since her debut single “driver’s license” rose up through the charts upon release, Rodrigo has been one of the most successful female artists of the 21st century, with her debut album, “Sour,” breaking several records.
With this new album, Rodrigo has done something that most fans were not expecting. Her past album titles were both only four letters long (“Sour” and “Guts”) which led to the assumption that this album would follow the same structure. Fans began speculating that it would be called “Love” or “Luck” even. So, when the title was officially announced, fans were surprised to say the least. Some were disappointed, others were intrigued. This album is also the first to deviate from her iconic purple color scheme, with the album cover featuring a brightfully blue sky, and Rodrigo herself swinging midair in a perfectly pink dress. She still pays homage to this purple by naming one of the tracks on the album after the color. These title and color changes just go to show the evolution of her music and herself as an artist.
This album is split into two parts, making the long title make sense. The first part is called “girl so in love” featuring mostly love songs or more upbeat, happier songs. The second part is called “you seem pretty sad” which features slower, sadder songs. This second part is also where Rodrigo’s maturity shines most. This album feels like she has learned all that she can in her teenage years in making her first two albums, and instead looking and leaning towards something new, something deeper.
On her second album, Rodrigo had put “teenage dream” as the last song. This choice feels intentional after hearing this new album. In a way, she is saying goodbye to her teenage years, as well as her teenage song writing, and moving forward towards a more mature and deeper understanding. People loved her first album because it felt like it perfectly encapsulated the feeling of being a teenager, a feeling that she seemingly tried to recreate in her second album, but not nearly as well. So taking a different approach with her third album was most definitely the way to go.
This album includes some of the first love songs in Rodrigo’s discography, all in the first half of the album, of course. It was exciting to hear her take on the concept of love and friendship, and it did not disappoint. Her lead single of the album was “drop dead,” the opener of the album and the “girl so in love” portion of it. Her second single was “the cure,” which was a sharp contrast to the former, as it was the first song on the latter half of “you seem pretty sad.” These two singles felt perfect in defining the layout and themes of the album. One half overflowing with love and happiness and sunshine. The other half is rooted in heartbreak and hurt and sadness. Together, they show both the highs and lows of being in a relationship of any age, rather than just focusing on high school romance from the teenage years.
The last song of the album is titled “cigarette smoke” and it feels just like that. Even though the relationship is long gone and over, the feelings of it still linger and remain in pieces, even in the smallest moments of life. In this song, Rodrigo begs, “Tell me something honest/so that memories turn dark,” potentially meaning that she wanted to hear and know the truth of the relationship in order for her to look back at it knowing that she was right for getting out of it instead of with longing and regret.
This new album just feels like a breath of fresh air from Rodrigo, and a great comeback to the music scene. Hopefully she continues to lean in this new mature direction and discovers something even this album has yet to touch on. She has already proven her prowess as a singer and songwriter, and all eyes and ears will be following her next steps into this new era and beyond.
Harry Donnelly is a third-year English major. HD1037995@wcupa.edu