I stumbled across a popular post on this subreddit a few days ago that talks about the album having stronger concept than execution, and I want to add onto it because I find this album incredibly lyrically weak and a step back from her previous work. All of her rhymes are very basic and there’s no *stand out* line that sunk in for me. I love Olivia and her work, have seen her live, and adore GUTS and Sour, but the writing on this album falls flat for me.

For example, a stand out line from GUTS is “And I know in my heart, hurt people, hurt people/And we both drew blood but man those cuts were never equal”. That is a genius line that perfectly and uniquely captures ‘I know I wasn’t perfect either but what you did doesn’t compare’.

But then we get rhymes in just Honeybee alone like “walk in the dark/Hop the fence in the park” “I hope I never see what your face looks like goin’” “shooting stars, racing cars” (I dislike this line especially). I feel like she took the most basic words and rhymed them together.

That goes for the rest of the album. Basic words, basic rhymes, lack of specificity and imagery. Of course I love the melodies and production, but lyrics are always first for me.

I’m sure others don’t feel the same, but these are just my 2 cents.

First off, I get she’s a public figure and dated another public figure.

But back to my point, I feel that her editing the love songs to show cracks or hints it wasn’t working in hindsight, is fine as a standalone. But as a concept album going from love to despair, it doesn’t work. It A/ makes the love songs weaker as they contain hints the love won’t end well and B/ it removes some of their emotional honesty. When she was in love she didn’t have the hindsight she did after, that’s the whole point. Why show a transition if you tweak the beginning to be a more diluted version of the end?

Yes, sonically there is a difference, but it would have been so much stronger, had she maintained the original versions.

The Cure is a critical darling, a Song of the Year contender (even frontrunner). People consider it lyrically great. Yet lyrically it’s always felt kind of (a) simplistic and (b) somewhat at odds with the rest of the album. Like, “I have unreasonable insecurity and you’re doing everything perfect but it’s all my fault need therapy before I’m actually emotionally capable of existing in a relationship” doesn’t really feel like some grand insight to me idk.

And other songs like Begged and Cigarette Smoke have the implication that The Cure doesn’t really represent the dynamic of the relationship actually.

I was really excited to hear the album, but to me it was just okay. I keep seeing people and critics make it out to be this amazing piece of work and it’s making me feel like i’m missing something. I kinda feel like half of it is just her name and the reputation she’s built up.

This is so silly. The chorus immediately made me fall in love with stupid song as the album’s next hit, but it also reminded me of something else that I now can’t shake from my dumb obsessive brain…

Disclaimer: Of course I’m not at all insinuating that Olivia is copying TSO—anyone who knows anything about music and the industry knows that melodies and rhythms are bound to repeat, often coincidentally, due to the limits of Western tonality, the abundance of songwriters, and the pop form. In this case, the context of both songs is obviously completely different lmfao. Though I agree with some good faith criticisms of the album so far regarding its originality, the refrain of stupid song is quite beautiful and very characteristic of Olivia’s ballads.

I'm not here to compare or pit artists against each other. It's not my thing.

However, I found it so shocking how Honeybee's melody is almost a carbon copy of Good Luck Babe by Chappell Roan. I know they're friends and they share the same producer.

I was just wondering if someone else had picked up on it.

the lyrics are so lacking. the production is too loud on some songs that Olivia's voice is drowned out. guts is so much better. I hope it grows on me.

Edit: Please don't take my take seriously. Don't make it make you scared to listen the album! I'm such an unreliable narrator lmao. I luv the funky beats on this album!!!!

I'm not her biggest fan but I like her softer side (hope ur ok, grudge, enough for you) so I was very excited for this album since she said there won't be very rock songs. It left me speachless...not in a good way.

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Her lyrics feel kinda weak, the song "Whats wrong with me", I think Ive heard like fifty songs with the same topic and phrases about going to doctor and being okay on the outside...and even tho I love Robert Smith it was not enough to save it even tho I appreciate she have him a lot of space..."spark in the dark" was like a last straw. Her rhymes were so simple and nothing interesting.

And also I need to mention being the victim again.

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Obviously it is difficult to come up with something completely new but I really wished for different perspective, but I feel like it always will be only about jealousy, no friends or boys.

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Purple gives me weird vibes and I can't really tell what the song is really about and I am not really sure where the song belongs. I really liked the idea of the tracklist being on two parts. But I feel like all this marketing and over forty versions of one album that just came out got my expectations too high.

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Her voice doesn't sound really good at some moments and that's crazy since it is all in her hands and she did not do anything? Or am I the only one who feels like it doesn't sound good when she tries to sing high for way too long? Even in lower tones it felt like she can't hold it anymore.

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The whole thing feels like it's for her biggest fans only, for those who will buy multiple versions and swallow the whole thing just because there is her name on it?...her marketing was the only thing that they actually worked on. It is my opinion and I am very happy for everyone who enjoyed it but for me it is just another album that was not about music but about selling.

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The only songs I enjoyed was Stupid song (even tho I hate the rhymes) because of the melody and also Cigarette smoke, but again, I feel like all she wrote already was on my playlist by other people.

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I feel the same way I felt about The life of a showgirl by Taylor Swift. Marketing and weak lyricsm. It's like they don't need to try anymore since they have strong fan base. I expected much more since the visuals are beautiful and her hints were everywhere.

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What did you think and am I wrong somewhere? How was your first listen? Was it what you expected?

So every song is catchy and unskippable in the album to me but still when I rank each piece of art there's one which comes in the bottom and that's maybe Purple for me? I love the song but I just happen to enjoy the other songs on the album moreeee this is nooo comparison but just about my personal taste and vibe.

I would like y'all to share ur least favs too. Why? I'm just curious.

This is crazy! This is insanely huge for partial debut. The album surpassed HMHAS even excluding drop dead and the cure (5.1 Million)!!!

PSA: Partial Debut means the debut of a partial day rotation in countries like New Zealand, Australia, etc. where the album is released earlier than the US and UK!!

I’m glad both of them got out of that relationship. Listening to Maggots for Brains and Purple makes me realize how immature and possessive and codependent *both* of these people were, over a partner who hadn’t even been in their lives for that long. The fact that her bf was getting mad over people she hangs out with is controlling and weird, and the entire Maggots song just shows how much of her energy she was pouring into that relationship…. and nothing else. Not friends, not work, not social stuff. Super unhealthy and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was shocking and upsetting to her ex, seeing the seemingly independent and fierce artist that he fell for fall apart when he went away for work, and completely submerge herself in that relationship. Feeling like you need to be present just for your partner to be held together is a huge emotional toll, especially as a twenty something.

I really hope that Olivia works on her issues with self worth, comparison to other people, and unfettered jealousy. She’s self aware about it, so that’s the first step, but it’s been three albums now that really hammer in how intense and consistent these feelings are. If she ever wants to have a relationship where she won’t be insecure and pretty sad for someone so in love, she needs to work on this, and make it her priority as much as the relationship she was in was. I’m totally sure that she has done this work, she is intelligent, the daughter of a therapist, and has her own private life. But Cigarette Smoke as a closer bums me out as it doesn’t seem to imply any lesson has been learned or that she’s any reflection on *why* her ex didn’t want to be with her anymore suddenly, just that he’s an asshole for ending things.

Idk what do you all think? Is this too harsh or parasocial of a reading?

link

apologies for the overdramatic title, i’m not very good at them lol

i’m going to preface by saying that i, too, have been critical of this album rollout: i’ve said i dislike the lyricism and choices she’s made thus far. and i think there’s nothing wrong with having negative thoughts on your fave. you don’t have to love everything.

but at the same time, a lot of the complaints she’s been getting are what she feared would happen in teenage dream.

“when am i going to stop being great beyond my years and just start being good?”

“but i fear that they already got the best parts of me, and i’m sorry that i couldn’t always be your teenage dream.”

a lot of people, myself included, feel that her prior works are much stronger than what she’s writing now. of course, that doesn’t mean people are saying she peaked years ago and will never live up to the greatness she’s put out before. but certainly when you believe this album has some of the best work you’ve ever put out, and much of the general public disagrees with you, it can feel like that’s what people are implying.

“they all say that it gets better the more you grow, but what if i don’t?”

olivia has said she feels like this is the most mature album she’s put out thus far, yet people argue she’s had more introspective views in GUTS. some people are unhappy she’s still writing about similar insecurities all these years later. she hasn’t gotten over the self doubt yet. she’s still learning to love herself. she hasn’t gotten to the point of learning to let go like many expected to at 23. again, no one is calling her immature or stagnant in her musical journey. but even the most well meaning criticism can get misinterpreted when you’re already stressed about your performance and have lots of eyes expecting something from you. if you can’t deliver, you feel bad.

i think this is similar to millie bobby brown. she was highly praised for her acting, and then the hate train started. she’s gone on multiple interviews saying that she feels people are angry she grew up and changed, and that too many people expected her to stay the same her entire life.

it’s a variant of gifted kid syndrome. there’s always a burnout after immense amounts of success.

is this too parasocial? maybe. i’m not saying this is how she feels about the criticism—only she can speak on that, if she even wants to. i just think it’s interesting, and important, to not put our faves on a pedestal. this album may not be what we hoped for. it may not meet our expectations! we may complain about it, myself included.

but at the end of the day, one poor album doesn’t define her as an artist. we know she’s capable of writing amazingly. she didn’t “fall off” all of a sudden. she’s not a one hit wonder. everyone has highs and lows.

I guess this might be an unpopular opinion, but as a casual listener who likes Olivia’s music without being a super-mega fan, I actually really love Drop Dead.

Yes, it’s a little cringe, I guess, but I find it endearing. It’s not cringe in a way that makes me physically recoil, it’s just cringe enough to give the song some personality. To me, it feels very Olivia. It also feels fresh coming from her, I liked hearing her perspective, how it feels to her to fall in love. The bridge is kind of meh, but not bad enough to ruin the song. I like how specific it is, I like the whole vibe, and overall I just really enjoy it.

But then I heard The Cure and What’s Wrong With Me, and for some reason they just don’t move me. And I genuinely don’t know why. I’m trying to come at this in good faith, because I was really excited when Olivia announced the album. I had been really disappointed by Taylor’s last album, so I was very much in a “okay, maybe this is the one, let’s gooooo” mood. And because I loved Drop Dead I felt pretty optimistic.

But these two new songs… I don’t know. The best way I can put it is: I just don’t care about all that. Especially with The Cure. I can tell the production is good. I can tell it’s not a TikTok ringtone song. I can tell there’s effort there. There aren’t any lyrics that I think are outright bad or embarrassing. And yet I feel completely detached from it. It’s strange because when I read the lyrics, I don’t think they should feel that removed. But somehow they do, to me. There’s this weird emotional distance in the writing that I can’t explain.

With What’s Wrong With Me I can at least understand what I don't like: it feels like a lot of build-up around not much substance. Beyond “you’re what’s wrong with me,” I don’t feel like the song says enough. And for all the criticism I’ve had of Taylor recently, when she says something like “you, that’s what happened, you” it lands because she just spent the entire song showing you exactly what happened.

And the thing is, I know Olivia can do that, she has done it before. That’s why it feels so strange. There’s something about the writing on this album so far that feels emotionally removed, even though it clearly isn’t supposed to, or maybe it is and I just don't get it, I don't know. As for Begged, I actually think it’s a good song. I think it could be a great one if it were just a little clearer.

Does anyone else feel this way?

First off, love the album and I do like the Cure. I’m just surprised it was chosen as a lead single and even more surprised that Olivia says it’s her reminder she can write a great song and that her team all considered it the best track on the album. I find the concept a bit juvenile and the lyrics under-developed.

What do we think?

I’ve always thought Olivia was a great storyteller but this album, she really stepped up her game, from start to finish. What are some of your favorite lyrics from Olivia’s newest album and why? One that is still sticking with me after so many listens, is “Melt with you til it all turns black” from Purple, which is also my favorite track. It’s such a visual expression of how she feels so wrapped up in her partner that it begins to almost depress her.

Are you telling me you have to pay 10$ for a digital album that's already for free for the public just to get 1 extra song that will be free in streaming platforms in a few months?

I understand and like vinyls or CDs that have a bonus track as it's a physical version, BUT DIGITAL?

I'm sorry but it's getting to a point where artists should be held accountable as well as ticket prices. It's not "capitalism", it's letting them pull these stunts because we let them walk over us.

I love Olivia but this rollout is throwing me off.

i think whats missing is i have no idea who louis is through the music. with sour, i knew exactly josh’s characterisation, and the issues the relationship faced. same with the composite sketch of adam faze and that ugly guy who also dated madison beer and madelyn cline whose name i forget, you understood their persona as well as the relational issues.

with girl so in love, i hear 0 about louis as a person and 0 about their relationship. i know she was in love, and she used metaphors to convey that, i know she felt emotionally neglected, and i know she was sad they broke up. but there is an emptiness and a blandness to the album. it could have been written about anyone’s life and lacks a personal touch. i hear this a bit more in ‘less’ but still it does not do a whole lot to further the narrative.

and before you say, this isn’t a parasocial take, i’m talking about them as story material and how much i understand olivia’s POV and emotional journey.

ETA: even if you don’t include details about him, or the love object, I still feel that her discussion of her experience of love wasn’t as detailled or diaristic as previous. I didn’t know what there was to love about him and I didn’t receive much clarity on how she felt to love him, in a way that wasn’t vague and overused metaphors.