Following the release of her power ballad “Vampire”, Olivia Rodrigo returns with her latest single “Bad idea right?” from her upcoming sophomore album.
This track follows Rodrigo in a more playful, ambitious, and less organized manner than we are used to. With catchy production from Dan Nigro, reminiscent of his work with Sky Ferreira, it blends the unorganized structure. This track has elements that can be found in her debut “Sour” on tracks like “Brutal” and “jealousy jealousy”. However, this track has a more polished and mature feeling in comparison to her past work. The chorus has a catchy and well-produced pop-punk style which leads into the verses which don’t hit as well. Moments like the refrain where we hear more airy vocals from Olivia help stitch all the moments of the song together making it more seamless.
Lyrically, this song is straightforward with fun cheeky nuances. Covering the topic of going back to your ex, Rodrigo expresses her mental battle during the decision process with relatable and funny lyrics. Olivia and Dan being the sole writers on this track took an interesting approach to the structure and lyrics as some moments felt like diary entries. This artistic style directly compliments Olivia’s teenage growing pain aesthetic.
Overall This solid track took a couple of listens to stick but builds much anticipation and excitement for her upcoming sophomore album “Guts” which will be released in September under Geffen/Interscope records.
She sounded crazy I was like omg is this what I sound like when I go back to him