Olivia Rodrigo has climbed the pop mountain and, once she got there, did something different. Enough artists out there are using it as a chance to reap the financial rewards of a sold-out tour, but few are remembering the roots that got them there. Rodrigo has brought out Robert Smith of The Cure and Talking Heads legend David Byrne at shows in the past. The latter has collaborated on a forgettable cover of Drivers License, but that is beside the point. Rodrigo has kick-started the long walk to album number three, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, with Drop Dead, a song which does not leave room for mystery in what its hot topic of discussion is. Rodrigo is a palatable pop artist because her performance and message ring true and genuine. It’s what made GUTS such a standout experience and what, effectively, makes Drop Dead so listenable.
Quite similar in instrumental style to her preceding works and featuring an artistic image that appears to still work for Rodrigo, this is more an extension than a change of pace. But it’s also a chance for the GUTS hitmaker to praise her influences. Name-dropping Just Like Heaven feels like Americanised social padding for many, but knowing the connection Rodrigo has with the song, that makes it all the more interesting for the context of the song. There’s a solid rise to follow and that upbeat, energetic style Rodrigo has perfected over the last few years is in full swing here. Enjoyable work to say the least, instrumentally inspired and carried by the pop momentum Rodrigo has built off the back of her Glastonbury Festival headline slot. Beyond that, there’s a metric of success to the message found on Drop Dead. Lyrical sweetness undercut by a sentiment that is hardly new to pop music, loss.
What Rodrigo does with that context here, though, is a little trickier. Her references to legendary bands form a connection not just between artist and listener, but artist and object of attraction. The memories shared and subsequently soured on Drop Dead are the crux of the piece, irrespective of the instrumentally strong rises and falls. It’s the loud pop sound of the times, exonerated by lyrically exciting, rich moments of contemplation. Nowhere is there an on-the-nose notion or obvious suggestion. Rodrigo is keen to put herself forward as a lyricist of interest, rather than a singer-songwriter whose message can be unpacked and understood before the song has ended. Rodrigo is not content with maintaining contemporary pop culture and has, through synths and references to bigger, bolder artists, brought about a challenging new song.
There’s still the floaty, singer-songwriter structure present. Those moments that linger on closing time at the bar, holding out hope for a significant other who offers little beyond pop culture references, but it’s the fall for those people that makes life a little more interesting from time to time. Or, at least, that appears to be Rodrigo’s argument. Infatuation in an illogical situation is what Drop Dead offers. No wonder that feeling after the fallout is so intense. Pair that with some instrumentally inspired moments, and you have an excellent launch for You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. Love is tricky, Rodrigo makes that clear on this latest single, which hides within it a deeper, darker side to the pop boom of the last few years.
