'It Was A Sad Fucking Summer' for Olivia O'Brien
Ever since her breakout hit, "i hate u, i love u," Olivia O'Brien has been ruthlessly tearing down the pop landscape one memorable single at a time. As we enter the season of pumpkin spice and oversized infinity scarves, she is treating us to a delectable two-track release, the aptly-titled It Was A Sad Fucking Summer.
Completely revolving around the looming thought of an ex, It Was A Sad Fucking Summer hears O'Brien tell it like it is; breakups are absolutely devastating. Olivia O'Brien spoke further on It Was A Sad Fucking Summer, sharing
"I am so excited to release my first micro-mixtape and continue to be able to express myself creatively in this new way. I've never done anything like this. At first I was afraid that people wouldn't understand my idea/vision, but now the fear has subsided and I am simply looking forward to sharing these little pieces of my life and emotions with the world."
"Sad Songs In The Summer" throws us straight into the fire of O'Brien's heartbreak, as she claims she can no longer listen to Tame Impala or drink vodka because it all reminds her of her past lover. Although the track itself is quite energetic and the sonics are rather cheerful, O'Brien's lyricism does not try to shy away from the lasting pain of heartbreak.
O'Brien continued,
"I always felt a lot of pressure in trying to make a larger cohesive project like an album, because I am inspired by a lot of different types of music and constantly growing/changing in my life as well as my sound. It's also a quicker process to not have to wait until 10 to 15 songs are perfectly finished in order to release them. I want to be able to release my music while I am still excited about it, before it has been sitting in a Dropbox folder for a year and a half and I've already started making music I like more, that sounds different."
The second and final track of It Was A Sad Fucking Summer, "Almost In Love," recounts the narrative of O'Brien's life post-breakup. As most of us fail to realize in the moment, it is incredibly difficult to be friends with your ex after you have been through so much together. This hopefulness is exactly what O'Brien clings to in "Almost In Love," amidst a soundscape of buzzy electronics and sonic warps that may convince you, for a fleeting moment, what's the harm in making that late-night call?
