OLIVIA RODRIGO’S “VAMPIRE” TRACK REVIEW
BY LIAM GILLIN (HE/HIM)Olivia Rodrigo has just released her first song in two years. “vampire” is the first leading single off her anticipated sophomore album GUTS that will be released this September. The overwhelming success of her debut SOUR accumulated billions of streams online. This left audiences with very high expectations for what was to come for the pop singer. Two years of waiting and predictions. Would Olivia Rodrigo completely rebrand herself? Could the sophomore album have more break up songs in store or songs with new themes such as the journey the twenty year old has had navigating worldwide fame? As Rodrigo stated in regards to the songs on GUTS it would describe, “A year that, for me, was filled with lots of confusion, mistakes, awkwardness & good old fashioned teen angst.”
Audiences including the Livies could have never expected a song like”vampire” from Rodrigo. The power ballad accumulates combining the themes of heartbreak and fame. Heartbreak is a common theme for Rodrigo to write about but this caters to a whole new age of heartbreak. A transition from teenage misery to the heartbreak of a young adult. The storytelling of this song is exceptional. It channels in on the conflict of intuition and delusion. By the time one is a young adult, they have the ability to effectively know right from wrong and of course as humans one always wants it to work out in their favor. During this time in one’s life, one will ignore the red flags and their own intuition in the hopes that their infatuation of someone will become a romantic reality.
Rodrigo’s is able to channel the relatability for her audiences as “vampire” accurately describes this situation. What makes the song unique though is her perspective as she explores this young adult heartbreak under the spectacle of fame. Now living a life where every aspect of what one does is watched in ways many will never experience.
Olivia Rodrigo showcases this situation beautifully with “vampire.” As the piano paces faster and faster, the intense drums and guitars at the bridge; her lyricism and ethereal vocals encapsulates a vulnerability very few artists have been able to achieve in their music. “Vampire” is a song one will have to pause throughout as they will have to process the lyrics they just heard. The lyrics that stand out the most in this song include “You can’t love anyone because that would mean you had a heart” and “How’s the castle built off people you pretend to care about.”
After listening to “vampire” it was very clear why her sophomore album would be called GUTS because this song was not only centered around the theme of gut feelings but also a gut wrenching single in the best way possible. The two year wait from Olivia Rodrigo was well worth it as “vampire” went above the bar that was set after SOUR and the perfect opening to the new era that is to come.