It doesn’t seem right to define Olivia Rodrigo only by artists who are a reference for her. The artist has already proven that she has her own style by throwing herself into confessional compositions and pop punk beats on albums like “Sour” (2021) e “Guts” (2023). However, the continuous work of recovering the genre’s roots can yield freshness and connection between generations that grew up listening to bands like The Cure e New Order, and shows how musical languages that were born at different times can speak for the same emotion. Between vulnerabilities and frustrations, even the romanticization of sadness for a love that didn’t go ahead.
If on her first two albums (“Sour” and “Guts”) Olivia relied on pop-punk and 90s grunge, her third album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love”dives headfirst into post-punk, gothic and New Wave from the 80s, especially at the end of the decade.
The was acclaimed by international critics, being considered the most mature and experimental work of his career.
The album is a conceptual project divided strictly into two contrasting parts: side A (“Girl So in Love”) brings the optimism of the beginning of the romance, while side B (“You Seem Pretty Sad”) delves into post-punk melancholy and despair.
The structure and instrumentation draw direct parallels with great alternative works, such as , such as the album “The Head on the Door” (1985) — which mixes the melancholic sound with the pop beat — and the first albums of New Order, “Movement” (1981) e “Power, Corruption & Lies” (1983).
It’s no surprise that Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith, lead singer of The Cure, have become professional friends. At the Glastonbury festival in 2025, Smith welcomed Rodrigo and, together, they both sang “Just Like Heaven” — track that gained reference in the opening verses of the singer’s single, “Drop Dead”: “You know all the words to “Just Like Heaven”.
Now, the connection between Gen Z’s biggest pop star and the legendary 1980s post-punk band has gone from being just conceptual to a real partnership in music.
The first feat of Olivia’s career, in , happens with an artist who represents one of the main emotional bases of the sound she has been building. The melancholic and almost “crying” style of Robert Smith’s voice finds space in Olivia’s interpretation, which alternates between vulnerable whispers in the verses and confessional explosions in the choruses.
Universality of “Teenage Despair”
The Cure built their identity around lyrics about loneliness, insecurity, love and existential anguish, while Robert Smith became one of the most recognized voices in alternative rock for combining vulnerable interpretation with melodies that remain accessible. Decades later, Olivia Rodrigo works with a similar logic when transforming personal experiences, breakups and insecurities into anthems shared by a new generation.
Musically, both artists occupy the role of confidants of the deepest feelings of youth. In the 1980s, The Cure translated social isolation, anxiety attacks and love pains into gothic and melancholic melodies.
Olivia Rodrigo seeks to do the same these days when she sings about not being able to get out of bed or feeling heavy in her chest. Regardless of whether it’s 1989 or 2026, vulnerability and heartbreak sound exactly the same.
