Calling all Olivia Rodrigo fans, the drought is over! After nearly three and a half years, Rodrigo has announced her third studio album “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” set to release June 12. Prior to the announcement, Rodrigo’s team did a lot to excite fans, and it all began with a wall.
Beginning in March, there was a purple mural in Los Angeles with Rodrigo’s “OR” logo. Throughout the month, the wall was repainted and transitioned from the color purple to pink, signaling both the new era and Rodrigo’s switch from her purple branding on her previous albums. At the end of the month, the mural was painted pink with the word “love.”
“OR” fans seem to have taken a page out of the “swiftie” book, because the anticipation for the third album began long before the mural, and started with deciphering Rodrigo’s diction and actions very carefully.
During her final festival performance of “GUTS” on Aug. 3, 2025, Rodrigo wore a red shirt with the number three written on the front. From here, fans began deciphering now-deleted images on her Instagram, taking notes of which ones seemed to be taken in a studio, and any themes in the photos. Additionally, fans began observing how instead of calling it the “end of GUTS tour,” Rodrigo referred to it as the end of the “GUTS era.”
Among deciphering her posts was also a lot of speculation on what Rodrigo would name the album. Seeing as her two previous albums “SOUR” and “GUTS,” were four letter words, many fans were positive this album would be too. The word “love” painted was a confirmation of new music and fans thought this was the official album name. Rodrigo then deleted everything from her Instagram and on April 2, the word “love” was painted over on the mural with the album’s name “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.”
Soon after, Rodrigo went to Instagram to officially commence the announcement. In the post she also shared the album cover, which is vastly different from her previous albums. This cover features Rodrigo on a swing wearing a pink dress and Mary Jane heels, with a bright blue sky behind her. This cover differs from her previous albums, as it not only diverges from her purple branding, but also doesn’t have the album name on it.
This truly marks an entirely new era and a different side of the singer, especially as the title is in all lowercase, an evident contrast from her previous capitalized album titles.
What we know about the album so far is it has thirteen tracks and is produced by Dan Nigro, just like her previous records. Despite speculation about it being a love album following her previous relationship with actor Louis Partridge, it is expected to be a bit sour too.
Rodrigo shared in her newsletter that “no matter how hard I try to write love songs they always come out laced with a little melancholy.” In an interview with British Vogue, she also revealed that while working on this album, she found it a “creative challenge to write from a joyful place,” and said that the track list is full of “sad love songs.”
It’s safe to assume this album will have the same vulnerability, angst, and painful anthems that we look for in Rodrigo’s music, this time with a bit more love. In the same interview with British Vogue, Rodrigo shared that her favorite love songs have a “tinge of fear or yearning” and that’s what she aimed to encapsulate with this album. To the hopeless romantics and anxious attachments, this one is for you!
There’s nothing more exciting than new music, especially when it comes after a three and a half year’s wait. And it couldn’t come at a more perfect time for the summer, so you can stream from the beach or your air-conditioned room. No matter the place, I’m sure it’ll be the sound of the summer.
Even as Rodrigo drifts from her original aesthetic and ventures into a new era, her dedication to melancholic tune and angst shows one thing is for sure; Rodrigo is the girl she’s always been.
