Olivia Rodrigo's Third Album Blends New Wave with Alt-Rock Angst

Olivia Rodrigo released her third album "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love" at age 23, moving away from pop-punk toward New Wave and 90s alt-rock influences. The album features collaborations with David Byrne and Robert Smith of The Cure. Rodrigo, who rose to fame in 2021 with "Drivers License," continues exploring themes of love's ruinous nature. The album's back half examines the limits of partnership, with standout track "The Cure" addressing envy and uncertainty. Rodrigo's fashion choices, including a baby-doll dress at a Barcelona Spotify event, sparked controversy over self-infantilization, which she countered by citing influences Courtney Love and Kathleen Hanna. Politically, she dedicated a 2022 Glastonbury performance of "Fuck You" to Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and partnered with the National Network of Abortion Funds. The album's opening track "Drop Dead" toggles between girlish hopes and mature desires, while penultimate song "Expectations" finds Rodrigo tempering romantic hopes.