Set in Motion - The Central Echo Magazine 2021

Illustration by Prince Ric Emmanuel Paciente

SET IN MOTION

OVERSTO RYCOVER VOCYROTSYROTSRE

About the cover

cover by PRINCE RIC EMMANUEL PACIENTE & KATHLEEN FRUGALIDAD

When the mind slips between chaos and peace, we respond differently from each other some would drown with it or freeze between space and time. Yet , only a few remain breathless, calm, and undefeated. We are all fi shermen waiting to catch our soul from the river, being torn by impatience. We all glimpse above the sky and below the water, thinking that we are all interconnected. We are the waves, rivers, fi shes, and the mystery of the sea.

Sour

MUSIC review by DANICA MAE HABLADO

If there’s one thing that newly broken up and completely in love people have in common right now, it’s probably that they all have Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album on repeat.

Reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s utterly personal lyrics and Lorde’s indie-pop sounds, the 18-year-old delivered an album that appealed to many. With multiple power ballads and a perfectly relatable retelling of heartbreak, jealousy, betrayal, and pain that comes after a breakup, Rodrigo has managed to put out a record that has become the anthem of eager teens and sentimental grown-ups alike. Truly, the subject of a broken heart knows no limit.

Sour—named after the dominant feeling she felt during this period of her life—is a versatile musical work that merges elements of mainstream pop, folk, and alternative rock genres. Opening with the pop-punk and indie rock-inspired “brutal,” Rodrigo details her insecurities and concerns as a

young teenager with public life. In the power ballad “Traitor,” she wails “you betrayed me” as the instruments build up to spotlight her vocal prowess. This marks the beginning of her heartbreak narrative, the main theme of her album following her breakup. “1 step forward, 3 steps back” is a piano-heavy track featuring an interpolation of Taylor Swift’s “New Year’s Day.” “deja vu” and “good 4 u” were released as her second and third promotional singles, both of which dealt with different stages of the healing process—denial and anger. Again, she proves the genderhopping attribute of the record, switching from piano ballads to drum and guitar-heavy, upbeat melodies.

“Enough for you” serves as the seventh track, a bedroom pop with downhearted yet hopeful lyricism. A fan favorite and the background to many TikTok videos, “happier” is the eighth track on the record, but not the last to radiate self-awareness of

negative traits stirred up by being in a failed romance. “Jealousy, Jealousy” is the ninth track, inspired by alternative rock sounds. True to its name, the song points to the envy young people feel due to the unrealistic standards set by social media. The tenth track is “favorite crime,” a stripped-down ballad with acoustic instrumentals as if the quiet melodies are mirroring the understanding that she comes with as she learns to move on. Finally, closing with the last track, “hope you are OK,” Rodrigo delivers an assuring message to old friends. As she sings the line, “I hope you know how proud I am that you were created with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred.” Rodrigo ends the record on a hopeful note, somehow the ideal way to end a musical narrative of melancholy, anger, and heartbreak. It is a testament, then, that not all things sour remain as they are—and sweetness can be eventually  found.