He released his first single long before he turned twenty, a moment that sparked a global wave. The track Driving licence, released in 2021, soared to the top of many charts and helped lift the debut album Sour to Grammy conversation. Olivia Rodrigo—though young in years, she carried the weight of experience in lyrics that captured heartbreak, fame, and the pressure that comes with growing up in the spotlight. The second album arrives on the scene with a different energy. Bravery, as the name implies, signals a louder, more assertive voice. The instrument chapter feels more colorful, with electric guitars weaving through the arrangements as if they were characters themselves.
Opening with the bold push of All-American Bitch, the track playfully skewers American celebrity tropes. It presents a persona that relishes self-assurance while inviting a wink at the audience. The song evolves with a rock-tinged choir and echoes of empowering pop anthems, an undercurrent that resonates with listeners who grew up on arena-sized choruses and candid storytelling. Bad Idea Isn’t It? follows as a sly, swaggering look at the precariousness of relationships with someone from the past. Guitars surge through scattered, edgy beats, and the ballad Ballad of a Homeschooling Girl leans into guitar-driven soundscapes that address social pressures and modern anxieties, including the all-too-familiar FOMO effect. Take It Back! adds a playful collision of early Beck and The Runaways influence, concluding with a striking lyric about meeting a partner’s mother to tell her that her son isn’t perfect. The sentiment lands with a charged honesty that can cut through pop gloss.
in the rehearsal room
One, two, three… the track opens with a crisp drum count and the telltale crack of sticks, as if captured in the same intimate rehearsal room where a tight-knit band would hatch a song. The producer, a constant collaborator and co-writer across the album, brings a kinetic energy that keeps the record lively. The producer is known for collaborations with major artists in pop and indie circles, lending a high-spirited, disciplined touch to the performances and textures that emerge throughout the project.
Themes of heartbreak, public scrutiny, and resilience thread through the material. There are moments of introspection—reflections on what fame can do to relationships and the personal toll it exacts. The track Making the Bed is a precise example: a confession that getting what was desired did not unfold as imagined. The mood shifts toward a wry, almost theatrical look at wealth and visibility, with a lyric that hints at vulnerability beneath a confident exterior. The imagery of chasing a dream that feels glossy yet treacherous recurs, painting a portrait of a life lived under bright lights and constant judgment.
The balladic side of the album embraces a more somber, cinematic quality, offering a counterweight to the high-energy tracks. Vampire unfolds with a piano crescendo and a sparing, intimate mood that examines a fragile relationship and the romantic torture of longing. Lace weaves romantic tension with delicate arpeggios, creating a mood that is at once lush and guarded. The album also touches on themes of personal growth and the awkward, sometimes dizzying sensations of early adulthood, all delivered with a balance of humor and sincerity. The songs come together in a cycle of accessibility, wit, and emotional charge that makes the collection feel cohesive yet adventurous. The artist, born in 2003, emerges as a distinct voice in a landscape crowded with new talents, bringing a blend of pop sensibility and indie craft that resonates with a broad audience. (citation: industry profiles and interviews)
Other albums of the week
Sea of Mirrors
Coral
Run Towards a
Folk Pop
★★★★
Designed as a soundtrack to a film that may never exist, Wirral’s new album presents a collection of 13 songs painted with serene beauty and ghostly hues. Influences from Morricone, Lee Hazlewood, and Laurel Canyon are felt in the string arrangements, shaped by Sean O’Hagan. A turbulent track like Oceans Apart features a miniature by a contemporary composer, capturing a sense of motion and distance. Rafael Tapounet
For That Beautiful Morning
Chemical Brothers
EMI-Universal
Electronic
★★★★
The legendary big-beat duo returns, reasserting their electric influence in a post-pandemic era. The opening of Live Again introduces a frenetic energy, with French vocal lines and driving percussion that push the listener forward. The album explores weight, perspective, and sense of place in a world that has felt unsettled. From there, tracks navigate a spectrum of moods—from hypnotic repetition to bursts of psychedelic sound—capturing the tension of modern life. The project closes with a sense of defiance and continued experimentation. JB