Even in a world where streaming’s rise means chart records are broken all the time, the debut single by Disney star Olivia Rodrigo is an anomaly. Drivers License – a portentous power ballad backed by plummeting drones and minimalist percussion – was written among the ruins of first love. This isn’t just about romantic rejection: for Rodrigo, reality has been irrevocably ruptured, and she is deeply disturbed. Olivia Rodrigo: Good 4 U – videoOf course, the emotions Rodrigo mines are not exclusive to adolescence, but Sour is still a gloriously teenage album. Rodrigo carries the baton with class and mass appeal, even if things do get a bit samey after a while.

Source: The Guardian May 21, 2021 07:15 UTC