At an astonishing 23 years of age, Olivia Rodrigo dropped her third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, back in June. Not only is it her best piece of work yet, but it is also easily one of the greatest albums of this decade so far. Not an easy task in this day and age.

Although the record has gained amazing praise and deservedly so… frustratingly a lot of the online discourse surrounding it is more concerned about who she wrote it about.

Long story short: Olivia was dating actor Louis Partridge from 2023 until their breakup in 2025. Now, don’t get me wrong, I totally understand that celebrities’ love lives can suck you in. You become invested in their every move. People say it’s human nature, though I’m not sure I entirely believe that our ancestors who were born in the Stone Age were destined to gossip and chat about such trivial matters. I do, however, think it has been deeply ingrained in us, especially growing up in the tabloid era, and now it’s 10,000 times worse with social media. Even worse, it’s become normalised. Yikes.

I would be lying if I said I hadn’t indulged in some of the commentary. I admittedly ended up down a deep rabbit hole of Millie Bobby Brown absolutely clocking Partridge during their Enola Holmes press tour, making it abundantly clear that she is Team Olivia. I was also very invested in the fact that Olivia more than likely began writing this album while deeply in love and happy in her relationship, probably planning to continue her four-letter album title theme (maybe something like LOVE?).

Things obviously went sour (no pun intended) at some point, and she had to pivot the entire vision for the album. Unfortunately for her and the inevitable pain she had to carry, it was fortunate for us listeners to have our ears blessed with such poignant, vulnerable storytelling and lyricism.

The unpaid FBI intern

I listened to Charli xcx’s album Music, Fashion, Film when it dropped, and the exact same conversation came up. I do believe we benefit from a baseline level of understanding of what is happening in an artist’s life. Context is incredibly important if you want to understand the lyrics and fully immerse yourself in the storytelling. Knowing this album was written about the breakdown of her relationship with Louis Partridge is useful knowledge, and it’s nice to have an image in your head if you’re a visualiser like me.

Where it starts getting a little weird and freaky is when people on the internet go down endless rabbit holes to retrace Olivia’s steps so they can pinpoint the exact time and place certain songs and lyrics occurred. Acting like unpaid FBI interns in the completely wrong department…

I feel bad for the people out there nitpicking whether a paparazzi picture was taken during her lovey-dovey “honeybee” phase or if they were already knee-deep in the tragic “begged” timeline. While they are busy with that, the rest of us are over here losing our minds over the fact that a 23-year-old has created a work of art that most artists take their whole career to achieve.

She has proven thus far to be incapable of releasing a bad album, so I went into you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love feeling both optimistic and excited. I was not expecting to be sitting on a flight home from Mexico contemplating jumping out the emergency exit because I felt like I had just been hit by a truck after my first listen. I was completely floored, tears in my eyes, much to the disdain of my poor plane neighbours (I’m just a girl, okay?!).

Maturity, co-dependency, and growth

I don’t necessarily think I could call her previous two albums (SOUR & GUTS) juvenile, because that makes them sound bad or like they shouldn’t be taken seriously, which is far from the truth. In saying that, it’s understandable that we can hear the teenage heartbreak in those records that was the phase of life she was in, so of course, she wrote about it. And by God could she articulate her feelings better than I could have ever dreamed of at that age.

This new album, however, is a massive step up, and I think that is the general consensus shared by pretty much everybody. Through her life experiences, she has matured, and with that, so has her sound.

Olivia has written or co-written all 13 tracks, which is obvious given the deeply personal, vulnerable themes throughout. It feels like physically stepping into the pages of her most beloved journal. If there is one thing about me, it’s that I am a sucker for an album that tells a cohesive story from the title track right through to the closing number. The structure and thoughtful track list of this album makes my musical heart so happy. The album is cleanly split into two halves:

• Section 1 (Tracks 1–6): Girl so in love

• The Midpoint (Track 7): Purple

• Section 2 (Tracks 8–13): You seem pretty sad

It felt like such a privilege to be let into the deepest parts of her mind. I can’t imagine how much weight must have been lifted from her during the writing and recording process. She has essentially documented her entire relationship for the whole world to dissect, critique, praise, and everything in between.

That is why I get so frustrated by trivial discourse over who a song is about. Can we not all just appreciate how she has connected the masses through these songs? It takes an unbelievably talented songwriter and performer to encapsulate feelings you never knew how to put into words yourself.

This album came at a perfect time for me and not because I relate to any of the heartbreak right now, but because it reminded me why I love music so much. This year has been very testing and difficult for me for a number of personal reasons, and it has left me feeling a little lost in my purpose. Very uninspired, unmotivated and with no want to put anything into action, which is, for lack of a better word, shit. But this album single-handedly inspired me to start writing and recording content again. It felt bigger than me, yet all-consuming at the same time. When I listen to bodies of music like this, I feel like such a small wee fish in the ocean, but also like I’ve been dropped into a movie set and I’m now the main character and all these songs were written for.

I have been in a very healthy, happy relationship for nearly 6 years, and the last time I experienced anything resembling a breakup was almost a decade ago.

Yet as an empath who wears her heart on her sleeve, I feel a genuine pang in my chest listening to this record. I feel for Olivia, and I feel for a hypothetical version of myself if I ever had to experience these feelings. I find myself getting emotional on all ends of the scale… happy that she got to experience a level of love that was so beautiful, yet heartbroken that she dealt with insecurity so deep it bled into her relationship.

That is what I want everyone to experience when listening to music. Instead of psychoanalysing personal circumstances or asking “who is this song about?” or “did you hear that clapback?”, or “blah blah blah” what if we honed in on how it makes US feel?

The meaning and context of each track, at least for me, has evolved the more I listen to the album. On first listen I very much thought of it as a love album for the first half and a heartbreak album the second half. And maybe it is because I was listening to it during a 24+ hour travel day so I had already lost my mind slightly before I hit play, but in reality I think I needed time and space for the album to breathe and sink into my bones. Now, almost two months after my first listen, I can appreciate the nuance of it. I see this album as a letter on insecurity, co-dependency, hope, love, sadness, and navigating adulthood.

Most importantly, it’s about coming to terms with the fact that to be happy, you MUST start prioritising yourself even if that means looking at the ugly parts causing you to self-sabotage or departing relationships that are dear to your heart. Seeking external validation through love, success, or confidence will never be the cure (pun completely intended).

THE TRACK DEBRIEF

1. DROP DEAD

The lead single (released back in April) sets the tone by offering a false sense of security. We aren’t used to Olivia singing pure, unadulterated love songs, but the synths at the start make you feel slightly tipsy, capturing that exact feeling of being completely dazzled and blindsided by a new relationship.

“And I’m feeling like I might throw up, left hook right punch to the gut”

That excited feeling that makes you sick to your stomach but in the best way (like butterflies I guess). Her vocal pace quickens throughout, mimicking the sudden adrenaline rush of falling hard and fast before any hurt comes along to ruin it.

2. STUPID SONG

Bearing in mind we are only onto track 2 and previously on Drop Dead we are at the very beginning of this relationship, like first date kinda vibes so I personally feel like this is already a very intense song to jump into off the back of that. Maybe that was purposeful and a way to foreshadow what was to come? Even in the chorus, when she says

“I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake”

Is a very intense lyric, she is falling far too fast to ever be able to stop even if she wanted to.

“you’re a spark in the dark and my clothes all caught aflame”

She knows this infatuation is driving her insane, but she can’t stop. The tempo starts to speed up in the second verse and continues on this trajectory throughout the remainder of the song. There is a sense of urgency about it, when I listen to it I can feel my chest beating super fast and my breathe getting a bit short. There is also a lot going on with the production and its hard to keep on top of it

3. HONEYBEE

Then, the pace drops completely into the most stunning, delicate piano ballad accompanied by a string quartet and ethereal layered harmonies. It is so clever that she brings the pace and energy right down in this song. We hear her so manic in Stupid Song but this feels like her reassurance that everything is working out just as intended and that she feels safe in this relationship. I felt like I was floating when I listened to this for the first time and truth be told its only got sweeter and sweeter the more I listen to it. Some of the most delicate lyrics I have heard in a long time

“I hope I never see what your face looks like going, a face I swear that I could spend my whole life knowing”

Watch everyone stick that into their wedding vows and Instagram captions for the end of time. I watched the Turning the Tables reaction on YouTube (the legendary dad and son duo), and the dad started crying because he thought of their sick dog. That’s the beauty of this song.

“I think ‘honeybee’ is the oldest song on the album. I wanted to write a love song that captured a more mature, nuanced love, which was a really tall order... There’s a fragility to that song that I really love. Being with someone who you are attached to and adore in this way is the most terrifying thing ever. I thought, ‘Oh, I have all this stuff and now I have something to lose, which is terrifying.’ That’s way more terrifying than ‘Oh, I lost something and I wish I had it back.’ There’s something automatically that tugs at your heartstrings, thinking about love in terms of that fearful reaction.”

— Olivia Rodrigo via Apple Music

Notice the lyric is “I hope I never see...” Even in her happiest moment, there is a lingering dread of the inevitable end. “Here’s to hoping” is much scarier than “here’s to forever.”

4. MAGGOTS FOR BRAINS

The first track where you can clearly hear The Cure and new-wave rock influence over her classic pop-punk sound that she is known for. I am obsessed with the fact that this song is inspired my Miranda from Sex and the City (I am currently rewatching it so I love being able to understand the reference)

Lyrically, we are back to an anxiety-inducing, co-dependent Olivia who is essentially admitting not being able to live a standard day-to-day life when her love is gone. The cracks of the relationship are definitely starting to show here even though we are still in the ‘girl so in love’ side of the album.

“I’m a sad shell of a woman and I’ve got maggots for brains / But that’s JUST what happens when my baby goes away”

The use of the word “just” is extremely important here because she is essentially normalising this feeling and saying it’s okay though because I’ll be happy once he is home. And listen, I don’t know a lot but I do think I know that this level of codependency is not heathy and if you hate your life and yourself that much when they are gone, maybe you gotta work on yourself?

She even says

“And sometimes, at a low point, I even wish for a tragedy, Causе I know he’d come over and takе real good care of me”

It’s as if she needs that constant reassurance that he is here and not going anywhere and the best way to prove his love and loyalty to her is to be around when something terrible happens. I also read this as having to prove to everyone else that they are the real deal and that he would do anything for her.

5. U+ME = <3

And we are back happy and in loveeeeee. Even her girlies are a bit worried about her saying

“And all my girlfriends roll their eyes, and tell me to take it slow this time”

I feel like in this album there is a real sense of worry and masked in hope. She is constantly thinking about all the bad things that could happen but is really hoping and praying they don’t. Like here she says

“I know everybody changes, but I hope that we don’t”

Change for a lot of people would be considered a good thing because it s a sign you are growing and evolving but she learly feels intimdated by change and maybe that’s because of a past experience? She even says

“and all my ex-boyfriends have heard these lines before, but I like you better by a million times”

This reinforces the idea that when she falls, she falls hard and fast, a serial monogamist perhaps?

This track belongs in a movie montage of childhood best friends becoming lovers, pure Love, Rosie vibes.

6. MY WAY

Angry, possessive Olivia enters the room.

“It’s getting to me, embarrassingly”

All the feelings she seems to have throughout the album so far are very intense, all-consuming ones. It is a pretty self-explanatory song but I find it interesting that it is the exact mid-point of the album as we start to enter into the ‘you seem pretty sad’ part of the album

7. PURPLE (The Midpoint Transition)

Well firstly purple is a colour that has been associated with Olivia’s brand since her debut album and we are only now starting to see a departure from that. Purple is also a colour that represents wisdom, higher power, and intuition. Maybe she is starting to get downloads (the spiritual girlies will understand) about where her relationship is actually headed. The real world relationship and all that comes with that is starting to dawn on her as she says

“And we fight over who I’m hanging out with like a real couple”

This makes me think that maybe shes been living in the honeymoney stage for a long time and the comedown and reality of that is starting to hit? We then circle back to her state of mind in Maggots for brains when she says “I had big dreams till I tied myself to you” We are now diving deep into the B side of this album (you seem pretty sad) as she finishes the song off with “melt with you till just feels sad” marking the official departure from ‘girl so in love’ to ‘you seem pretty sad.’

8. THE CURE

Hands down, one of the best songs Olivia has ever written.

“I thought I’d found the antidote this time”

She obviously thought that her love for him was enough to undo all her deep insecurities. Comparison is a real theme for Olivia in her music and we see it here once again when she says, “used to play a game in my head when I’d date a guy. Tally up the girls that he fucked till I start to cry” a real source of self-torture. The bridge and instrumental break sounds like release, like real cathartic shit, something that has been brewing for far too long that has finally bubbled and spilt over the edges.

There’s something quite theatrical about it actually. The constant guitar strumming throughout the song is very anxiety-inducing and almost ominous, like she is about the snap which of course she does as she ‘unravels’ over and over again. It sounds like that scene in an indie coming of age movie when the main character has decided ‘enough is efuckingnough’ and starts running down their street, not letting up one bit.

9. BEGGED

Jesus is this girl good at making an acoustic harmony driven ballad?!

Is there anything worse than having to make it blatantly obvious to a person you love what it is you want because they are never around to listen or know for themselves? This song made my heart hurt because it is essentially just about settling for less than what you deserve. We see over and over again in this album that no matter how bad this relationship makes her feel, she will never be the one to leave it because she would rather be stuck in the comfort of one person than leave them and be left in the unknown.

And she confirms this by saying

“I’m an anchor in the Ocean you know I could never leave”

10. I THINK YOU’RE WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME (feat. Robert Smith)

BOOM. The realisation hits: he is the source of her sadness.

People were understandably very excited about this song as it features none other than Robert Smith from The Cure. On a songwriting level this song is incredible and should be a number one hit! So, Olivia girl… release it as a single!

I think we have all been in a situation in some form when you come to the sudden realisation that you need to face your problems head-on and accept what the underlying issue is and that is incredibly sad and heartbreaking sometimes, especially in this instance when you love someone with all your heart but you know it isn’t enough.

The song also makes me a bit emotional because of the pure scale of it. I think there is something so momentous and beautiful about two artists from completely different eras collaborating together and connecting different genres, and fans through music because that is what it is all about.

There is so much love and connection in the world and now more than ever it is overshadowed by hate and people being pinned against one another. We see it all the time in music, fans comparing artists, older generations saying music these days is shite, artists starting petty stupid beef with one another just to fill their pockets. So to see two absolute superstars coming together to write a profound piece of music together warms my heart. I feel ecstatic for Olivia that her first-ever feature on her own music was with someone so influential and important to her. It was intentional and I think that is everything these days. Years ago there used to be these huge collaborations with artists, and no, not just features actual collabs and duets. Think George Michael and Aretha Franklin, Aerosmith and Run-DMC, Queen and David Bowie. It is a gorgeous organic way to discover new artists, new genres, new fandoms.

I think in an era where an artist releases a song, it get’s popular, they want to continue monetising off it so they get another successful artist to record an extra verse from the other side of the world and send it over by email, stick it in the orginal and release it as a ‘remix’, it’s nice to have some genuine connection and collaboration back. I can feel both artists in this song and their chemistry is amazing.

11. LESS

This song genuinely made me consider opening up the emergency exit on my flight home the first time I heard it.

It is so raw and gutteral almost as if it was never actually intended to be listened to by anyone at all. And funnily enough she nearly cut the song from the album but she changed her mind after playing it for Conan Gray, who cried to the track and told her she could not leave it off the record. Like can you imagine she took this off?! I fear that would be a hate crime, jail time guaranteed. I have seen grown-ass men cry over this song (shout out Jon Denton and the Turning The Tables boys).

Like holy fuck we knew that this relationship was declining through the album but I wasn’t expecting the gut punch of sadness this song instilled in me. It is just so hopeless, like she knows there is absolutely nothing she an do to stop him leaving to the point where she genuinely thinks him loving her less might be the answer.

12. EXPECTATIONS

Every heavy record needs a post-breakup palette cleanser and the pop girlies always know how to do it. The relationship is officially over, and our girl has raised her standards after a plethora of pretty bad dates. I have no idea what ‘Silver Lake’ is (I assume some area in LA maybe?) but I believe her when she tells me her future hubbu won’t be there. It’s full of gritty attitude, reminding us that despite the depth of her writing, she is still only 23 years old. I am also of the personal opinion that it is nice she hasn’t completely given up on the idea on love, even if it might be too soon… but who am I to judge? SHE WILL BE ADORED

13. CIGARETTE SMOKE

The final curtain. Where Expectations gives us the rage, Cigarette Smoke gives us the quiet, lingering stank of a relationship that has completely burnt out. A very clever metaphor because we all know how bloody hard of a smell smoke of any kind is to get rid of, no matter how hard you try. And our girl is trying!

In my analogy of using the album as a film soundtrack, I fear my film wouldn’t have a very happy ending at all. It’s dawned on Olivia just how much time she wasted waiting for him to ‘be brave’ and end the relationship because like I said, I don’t think she ever would have herself, at least not anytime soon.

Once the noise fades and the drama dies down, and all that’s left is the quiet realisation that prioritising yourself, ugly parts and all is the only way forward.

What about you? Have you listened to the album front-to-back yet? What song hit you right in the gut? Drop your thoughts in the comments below! 🍷💋

And if you would like to listen to this in more detailed then check out my latest podcast episode

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Yearning for a time period that I wasn’t even a thought in my mother’s head for: it’s a mood. But it’s more than just the aesthetic of it. It has a very specific sound that has stuck with me for as long as I can remember.

As far as my ‘Roman Empire’ goes, I would say I think about Miami in the 80s a few times a week. My requirements for this obsession are simple:

1. I’ve never been to Miami.

2. I spent a concerning amount of time as a young child playing GTA Vice City on my brother’s PlayStation 2.

And yes, was it fun to wear funky Hawaiian shirts and to drive around in convertible cars like a raving lunatic with next to no consideration for any oncoming vehicles or pedestrians for that matter? Admittedly, yes. BUT that is not why I found myself so addicted to the game.

Even as I got older and played the later installments of the franchise like San Andreas, GTA IV, and GTA V, it would always take me so long to get through the missions and complete the gameplay because I would get too distracted by the same thing. And it didn’t matter which game it was. Wee Aideen was just OBSESSED with cruising around blaring the absolute banging radio stations that were curated for the game.

So yes, while some might question why my parents were letting their child who could barely tell the difference between her lefts and rights (still not much better today tbh) play such a violent, R-rated game, I thank them. It exposed me to some amazing music and made me obsessed with a time period that would still take up a lot of brain space 20-odd years later.

© Rockstar Games

The Plot Deserves a Delicious Soundtrack

Even though I love all the GTA soundtracks, the Vice City one will always take the cake for me. For anyone unfamiliar with the gameplay of Vice City (not that it is particularly relevant to this article, but we love a bit of subcontext here), let me give you a brief overview:

Ex-mobster Tommy Vercetti is released from prison and sent to Vice City by his Mafia boss to execute a major drug deal. The deal is violently ambushed by unknown assailants, causing Tommy to lose both the drugs and the money. Facing threats from his boss, Tommy builds a criminal empire, eliminates his enemies, and rules the city.

A hefty plotline like this requires nothing but the most delicious soundtrack.

I would always say that my favourite decade of music as a whole is the 70s, but holy god is there something about 80s music that makes me feel nostalgic which is strange considering I was born in 1997. NEVERTHELESS, even at that, you have 80s music and then you have Miami in the 80s music, which has a very specific sound. I would characterise it by synth-pop, new wave, and power ballads. Add a bit of saxophone in there and you have me on my hands and knees baby.

Considering the fact that Vice City was only released in 2002, is the soundtrack an accurate representation of what Miami sounded like and was listening to in the 80s? Unfortunately, I have no idea as I wasn’t born, but surely they had to have got the inspo from somewhere?

When you look at similar pieces of media such as the cult TV classic Miami Vice, there are certainly a lot of similarities. Miami Vice premiered in 1984 (so true to its time) and the plot was very similar to that of GTA, only from the coppers’ perspective. It presented all the same appealing elements that GTA did; it was one of the first TV shows to proper lean fully into the 80s aesthetic. The big hair, the bright neon colours, and of course, the 80s music.

It is actually a big reason why needle-dropping in TV is so popular today. It was one of the first shows to use music to show us the plot that we see so often today, especially in portraying stories set the 80s such as Stranger Things and Rivals.

I love when a TV show or, in this instance, a game stays true to its time period. This was a big reason why I could not get into Netflix’s House of Guinness.

The soundtrack was filled to the brim with big hits from Irish artists such as Kneecap, Fontaines D.C., and The Mary Wallopers. And if anyone knows me, it’s not because I dislike any of those songs - far from it. It’s because I am someone that needs to be fully immersed in a show or movie if one of its main characteristics is the time period it is set in. Believe it or not, it’s very hard to become fully invested in the Guinness family in the 19th century when “Get Your Brits Out” by Kneecap is blaring over the speakers. Kinda takes you out a little bit, you know?

Which is exactly WHY I adore the music choice in Vice City. It aligns perfectly with not only the plotline but the general vibe and feel of the game - from the shit shirts, to the neon colours, to that very specific purply sky that reminds me of the sky at nighttime in The Simpsons (iykyk)

Life before Spotify and “Flash FM”

I am also not the only person who loves the soundtrack this much. It is widely recognised as one of the greatest gaming soundtracks of all time, still to this day, featuring over 100 licensed songs over 9 different in-game radio stations.

It was different playing Vice City or even San Andreas back in the day. I remember playing GTA V and, because that was more modern, you could download Spotify onto the PS3 or PS4 and play whatever music you liked while still indulging in the gameplay. I’m not saying that’s what one should be doing, I’m just saying that is what was happening with some (myself included). But back in the early 2000s, when the only option you had on the PS2 was to literally play the game, you made the most of that.

The radio stations were, and still are, an absolutely integral part of the gameplay and plotline. Not only were these stations STACKED with epic tunes, but the hosts really made you feel like you were part of the game, which I guess is the whole point, isn’t it? Each insanely satired host has their own background and lore that they unpack throughout the course of the game.

Take Toni for example, from the popular pop station Flash FM. We go on a journey with this girlie. Here is a description I found for her on a YouTube video which essentially just plays the entire Flash FM radio station, ad reads and all:

“Toni loves to party. Toni lives to party. Toni can almost spell party. Her dream is an evening on a back of a tour bus playing strip poker with any band from Britain, while burning a hole in her septum, and unlike many people, her dreams are coming all too true. She can’t foresee a time when she will be older, as she is probably too stupid, but she loves the music almost as much as she loves the partying. She can’t imagine what it would be like to be thirty, and really hates old people who have their heads stuck in the past. And who can blame her? With a hair full of spray, loads of bracelets on her wrist and a blocked nose, no one can stop her on her way to the top...”

That description gave me a good laugh mainly because it’s so accurate. Like every good storyteller, all her ridiculous statements do seem to tie so nicely into each song. For instance, we know she lives a bit of a hedonistic lifestyle and this gal clearly has a hefty sexual appetite. Before playing Electric Light Orchestra’s “Four Little Diamonds” she comments: “this one is really good and I’m not receiving any special treatment or action on the tour bus to say that” and after the song plays she says: “when these guys are done with me I’d walk like an Egyptian... or a cowboy.”

Flash FM is, quote-unquote, the ‘pop’ station in GTA and Toni is very passionate about this, stating: “we play nothing but the best pop music, all day, every day until the end of time, which could be tomorrow! So live like it’s forever, tonight!”

The iconic Flash FM tracklist includes:

Using GTA Like a Modern Spotify Playlist

I was reading some similar articles about the music in Vice City and came across a really interesting and important point in an NME article. The game was released in 2002, only one year after the first-ever iPod was released by Apple, so the mere idea of being able to switch between different fictional music stations on a PlayStation game was pretty mind-blowing and very ahead of its time.

A section of this article says:

“Interviewing Vice City players, Miller found that the way they engaged with the radio stations had a significant impact on their overall experience of the game. Some used the stations to enhance their immersion in 1980s Miami, while others listened to music to create ironic distance from the contract killing mission they were on. Some would also pick songs or stations the way we use Spotify to set the mood at the gym or at a dinner party. They’d put on music that would help them complete a mission because it was more relaxing or generated more adrenaline.”

I love this because this is precisely the point I am trying to get across. It is all about world-building and getting as into that world as humanly possible without a flux capacitor involved. And if you are in any way familiar with any of the GTA games, you know that sometimes to pass a mission or progress the game you would need to do some pretty hefty long drives which can, to some, get a little boring.

So what better way to pass your time than to stick on your favourite radio station? Maybe you want something a lil bit more funky so you’d stick on Fever 105, or maybe you want something a little more chill and romantic then you’d switch over to Emotion 98.3. Suddenly, the drive where you are trying to not run over any pedestrians because we don’t have time to deal with the coppers becomes much more enjoyable. That’s the power of music baby.

The Modern Revival

You can still today hear a lot of influence from music in the 80s and particularly that Miami Vice City sound. I distinctly remember when The Weeknd’s Dawn FM came out back in 2022 and on that very first listen I said: “This sounds like it should be on a Vice City radio.” Especially the song “Out of Time”. The album itself even has its own fictional radio host concept: “you are listening to 103.5 Dawn FM.”

And it’s no wonder it sounded so nostalgic for something that was in fact so fresh at the time. Abel said himself in an interview with Billboard:

“Grand Theft Auto: Vice City really opened my eyes to a lot of ’80s music, so there was a nostalgia for when I was a kid playing video games and listening to Hall & Oates and Michael Jackson while driving through the city.”

The success of the radio stations and use of music in Vice City set a precedent for every installment that followed.

I’m not going to lie - apart from the general vibe and aesthetic of the game, there isn’t a whole lot I can recall in terms of plot or specific places you can visit on the map. However, every time I hear certain songs like “Out of Touch” by Daryl Hall and John Oates, I instantly feel nostalgic for the game.

It seems like the yearning for the 80s isn’t going away anytime soon. I created a Spotify playlist recently (which I will link below, shameless plug oops) all about vice city vibes, whether that was songs that were featured in the game or simply ones I think would fit right in.

The first song on the playlist isn’t featured in the original soundtrack. It is a track titled “Badge and Gun” by Sunglasses Kid & Jonny Diggens from 2024. I, like the majority of people, came across this song because of its virality on both TikTok and Instagram. Most of these videos use AI-generated images to either depict 80s interior design or, my favourite, indulge you in a fake 80s fantasy such as: “POV you’re a lawyer in the 80s and go back to your Miami penthouse to discover your husband’s been cheating on you” kinda vibe.

WTF is “Neon Noir”

I find it hard to explain the essence of what I hear when I think of Vice City. And yes, it obviously draws a lot from the original soundtrack, but its more than that. I also hear certain songs on the official soundtrack and I think to myself, “that doesn’t sound like Miami to me,” even if it is a banger. A lot of the heavy rock stations for instance

The aesthetic I guess of the playlist itself would maybe be considered ‘Neon Noir’. And I know some of you reading will be thinking wtf is that, you have definitely just made that up, and I get it but I swear to god it’s real hahaha. The only official (but definitely more on the unofficial side) definition I could find says:

“Neon Noir is an aesthetic that first emerged out of the Neo-Noir film genre during the 1980s. It creates a dreamlike atmosphere with stylized visuals with a vibrant saturation, neon text, and an overall feeling of existential isolation. Neon Noir is heavily associated with Synthwave, with most Neon Noir media incorporating it to emphasize the loneliness.”

See? I told you I didn’t just pull that term out of my arse!

The thing with me is, when I think of Vice City, I almost always visualise it being nightime. It feels like stepping out of a humid, sweaty Miami nightclub at 2:00 AM straight into your ridiculously expensive sports car. You’re cruising along Ocean Drive and when you arrive back at you oenthouse overlooking the shore, you pour yourself a whiskey on the rock and start chain smoking on your velet sofa. Oh and maybe you’ve bought a special (or not so special) someone back with you. Oh, I also always see this as a man with a sexy moutache, Declan O’Hara spec. Melancholic hedonism at its absolute finest.

Now not to toot my own hour here but when you break down the playlist, it turns out my chaotic little brain accidentally created a perfect three-pillar structure:

1.The OG Vice City Energy

These are the classics that instantly trigger the image of white linen suits, speedboats, and pink sunsets. Tracks like Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, Hall & Oates’ Out of Touch, Laura Branigan’s Self Control, and Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. These define the original game’s mid-tempo pacing. It’s the perfect cruising tempo that makes you want to break the speed limit on Ocean Drive because what the f*ck else would you be doing playing Grand Theft Auto

2. The Late-Night Sexy R&B

This is wher the playlist goes above generic 80s synthwave. I leaned heavily into smooth, sexy, expensive-sounding, late-night R&B. We are talking Sade (Smooth Operator, Nothing Can Come Between Us, Kiss of Life, Paradise), paired with Alexander O’Neal (If You Were Here Tonight) and The Isley Brothers (Between the Sheets). This is the hazy, luxury, yacht wealth side of Miami.

3. The Modern Disciples

The most fun part of curating this was adding songs from the last few years that weren’t in the game but are the spiritual children of that 80s sound. Obviously, The Weeknd’s Out of Time slots in perfectly because he literally samples 1980s City Pop. Then you have Taylor Swift’s False God, which uses that exact same smoky, late-night saxophone and muted R&B beat that feels like a modern nod to Sade. Even Sabrina Carpenter’s Bed Chem features that driving mid-tempo synth-bass that mimics 80s post-disco like The Whispers. It actually really reminds me of Human Nature by Mr Jackson

At it’s core this playlist is yearning for a time period I never lived through, but through the power of a damn good soundtrack, I feel like I own that city anyway.

I have a full podcast episode chatting about about the GTA Vice City soundtrack so make sure you check it out

💋 Aideen

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Let’s get one thing straight before we get into this: I’m not a film critic. I’m not here to give you a technical breakdown of cinematography, or screenplay, or any of that. So if you are expecting a review of the film, you’ve come to the wrong place. I want to talk about ‘The Moment’ for what it actually is: a satire, a parody, and a “cry for help” about staying relevant in a society that is constantly chasing the algorithm and seeking external validation.

Despite being a “mockumentary,” the themes Charli pulls from the wreckage of the Brat era are uncomfortably relevant to the music industry today. This film was clear as day Charli’s way of saying goodbye to the lime-green chaos once and for all - and doing it the only way she knows how baby: through self-deprecating comedy.

The “Kid/Family Friendly” Erasure

The first half of the film really nails the anxiety of “why fix something that isn’t broken?” We see the record label and Charli’s team constantly churning out ways to keep the Brat machine running, despite them all agreeing that it is ‘cringe’. Money talks, I guess... Charli is caught in this suffocating loop. She’s terrified of becoming irrelevant, but she’s also drowning because her entire identity is now tied to a single aesthetic.

Enter Johannes (played by Alexendar Skarsgård). His entire arc is about changing the visual and artistic concept of the Brat arena tour to appeal to “younger fans” so Charli can “connect generations.” Essentially, he wants to make it as “family-friendly” as possible, to sell it to Amazon for a concert movie. It brought the quote “When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one” to the front of my mind.

We saw it happen in real time in 2024. When politicians and brands started using Brat for their own benefit, the floodgates opened. Suddenly, every shop front was slime-green and every branding font changed. It benefited Charli’s bank account, sure, but it also invited everyone in. It was a marketing strategy for a USA Presidential Campaign for f*cks sake?! As Celeste, her creative director, and seemingly the only person in the film who has Charli’s best interests at heart, says: “She’s singing about cocaine, I don’t think this is for kids.” (or something along those lines, you get the general idea) If Charli can’t control the space for her true fans: the LGBTQ community, the sesh heads, the people who love a dance and a rave, without some geezer trying to make it “kid-friendly,” then what is the point?

The “Success” Menty B

One of my favourite moments was the car scene with her manager, Tim. Charli is having a full-blown menty b about people feeding off her success. She wants to go to Ibiza for two days for a bloody break because your girl needs it; Tim wants her in tip-top shape to “KEEP BRAT ALIVE!”

Her rant there was so telling. She screams about how no one gave a fuck when she was alone in the studio actually creating the concept, but now that it’s a hit, everyone wants a seat at the table. Everyone has an opinion. It’s a direct reflection of a version of Charli who has been conditioned to think her worth is only measured by her latest win.

The Taylor Swift of it All

When I got home from the cinema, I went straight to Letterboxd (obviously). Admittedly, and not to offend any Taylor Swift fans, but my favourite review was simple: “Charli’s worst nightmare is becoming a Taylor Swift concert.” The film never mentions Miss Swift by name, but the direction Johannes wants to take the show is giving “Standard 2-Hour Pop Concert Film.”

Let’s compare the fictional “Amazon” tour in the movie to Charli’s actual real-life arena tour. In real life, she got what she wanted: strobe lights, slutty little outfits (I love, btw), and most importantly, it was just her. No backup dancers, no band, just a girl and a mic with the space to move how and when she pleases.

In the film’s final version of the concert? It’s hard not to see the parallels. We’ve got the glowing wristbands (made popular by Coldplay, who Johannes actually references), the giant props, and the sparkling cigarettes. It was giving Katy Perry energy - which, look, I guess in the record label and Amazon’s eye, is better than bags of cocaine disguised as “sandwich bags,” but it’s definitely not Brat.

Consumerism at its Finest

Then we have the Howard Stirling credit card scandal, the big BANG in the film I guess you could say. Fictional Charli promotes a failing bank to fund Johannes’s expensive vision, leading to her fans essentially committing fraud just to afford a ticket.

This touches on the messy reality of artists feeding off their fans’ vulnerabilities. We see it all the time - whether it’s Harry Styles charging an arm and a leg, or Taylor Swift releasing 30 different variants of a record to target young fans who don’t want to feel “lesser” for not owning every version. Once you hit Charli’s level of success, “You” and “The Brand” become separate entities. The label doesn’t care about “You”; they care about how well they can push and shove the “Brand” to sell more.

Even Kylie Jenner’s cameo in Ibiza felt iconic and dark: she tells Charli that when people are growing sick of her, she should “go even harder.” Which I loved and also Kylie kinda ate with her 5 minute cameo…

The Bittersweet End

Ending the film with a needle drop of The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony” was VERY on the nose, but necessary. As we watch the montage of the “Amazon” tour, it feels like a surrender.

Charli ends the film on the phone with a fired Celeste, saying she’s made peace with the show because it finally allows her to “end” Brat. “It would have been nice to end it our way,” she says.

In real life (April 2025), Charli posted a TikTok reflecting on this exact feeling. She admitted it’s hard to let go of something that becomes your entire life, but she’s fascinated by the “tension of staying too long.”

The Moment proves that Charli knows exactly what the industry is trying to do to her. And maybe she’s just the only one brave enough to make a joke out of it before they make a product out of her?

What do you think?

Did the “Amazon” concert give you the ick (I guess that’s the point right?), or are you a fan of the sparkly cigarettes and being flung around the air in a harness? Let’s talk about it in the comments 🍷💋

(Oh, you can also check out the full podcast episode)

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