By the end of her newest album, Olivia Rodrigo will leave you on the bathroom floor mourning a relationship you never experienced.

You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love is a full narrative album capturing the timeline of falling in and out of love. From the whirlwind of butterflies to the hollow feeling in your heart, each emotion is embedded into the tracks.

Three years after the massive success of her sophomore album GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo’s next project was eagerly awaited by fans who had sampled her emotionally raw and honest music and had a taste for more. Her discography’s newest installment, which dropped on June 12, did not disappoint.

Despite influences of pop punk and rock in her previous records, her new songs deviate towards more melodies from soft pianos, guitars and synths. The change only goes to show that Rodrigo isn’t afraid to develop her sound to elevate her storytelling.

The opening half of the album reflects the “girl so in love” segment of the title, with listeners experiencing the heart-racing feelings of a newly formed crush. Rodrigo drops the audience head first into the lead single, “Drop Dead.”

Contrasting with the punchy drums and synths, Rodrigo’s vocals are wispy and cool. However, the power of her vocals grows alongside the song’s climax when needed. It’s a new love anthem that can be played as you dance around your bedroom late at night.

“Honeybee” shows the development of love as it softens to the tender yearning of one’s lover. It is also one of many ballads on the album. Rodrigo’s emotions linger on her tongue when she sings, “and it’s too hard to describe this / In a way that feels honest, but even when I’m quiet / I love you, baby, I promise.”

Through her whisper-like vocals, listeners experience the silent affectionate love between two people. It feels deeply vulnerable, almost as if the listener had pried themselves into the equation.

However, a relationship can soon swallow up one’s life, for better or for worse. “Purple” signals the first subtle change into the album’s “you seem pretty sad” section.

Despite holding the same dreamy and low synths, the sounds mislead and distract the audience from Rodrigo’s narration. The lyrics “It’s crazy (it’s crazy) / I had big dreams ’til I tied myself to you / Now I’m all-consumed” are sung mellowly. Despite its position preceding the next lead single, the song holds itself up. Rodrigo’s ability to harmonize within the chorus with the background instruments is extraordinary.

The next lead single, “The Cure,” is ultimately the strongest song Rodrigo has yet created. For around five minutes, listeners are exposed to the uneasy reality that relationships can’t solve insecurities nor our own destructive behavior.

The beginning guitar strums feel tense and only grow more so throughout. Rodrigo matches the tempo with a sad and aching tone as she sings “I got toxins in my bloodstream/ You tried hard to suck ’em out / And it feels like medication / And it’s good for me, I’m sure / But it don’t matter how your love feels anymore / It’ll never be the cure.”

Arriving at the bridge, you’ll find yourself screaming the lyrics with the feeling of speeding down a highway. The drums are pounding, strings are heavy, and Rodrigo’s vocals become more desperate. Each element strengthens the others to create one of this year’s most heartbreaking tracks.

The last and longest track of the album, “Cigarette Smoke,” is the end of the bitter love. The song starts off with an eerie sound of synth and electric guitar before the guitar plays once more. It echoes the song’s mixed feeling of isolation, anger, and sadness.

With lyrics such as  “It’s bone-dry, bitter and hollow / you will never know my sorrow / Why’d I try at all?” the song reflects the pain of ending a relationship despite all the effort. As the song ends, the violin is in full effect, and Rodrigo demonstrates her vocal range to reflect her anguish.

As all the memories come crashing down, and the music slows, the audience is left with the silent heartbreak of what could have been. This pattern of bringing the sound to a high before halting is repeated throughout the album but effectively brings listeners to Rodrigo’s clouded headspace.

You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love accurately encapsulates every emotion felt in the journey of love, from infatuation, to codependency, to foreseeing the errors of the relationships.

Rodrigo continues to grow as a storyteller, as each of her albums proves to be better than the last one. Once granted access to Rodrigo’s mind, audiences are going to continue reaching for more.