Album Review: Olivia O’Brien Ask Was It Even Real?

Hearing Olivia O’brien’s debut, after seeing her live, I was so happy to hear how she transferred her personality into recording. She truly is a person trying to explore the glamor of being genuine. Yes, she is stunningly cool, but nothing protects a person from doubt, fear, and general suffering. In her debut, Was It Even Real?, Olivia analyzes what in heart is an image and what is insight. 

There are times in life when we feel, as human beings, like posters of ourselves; hanging pictures of us posing like a memorable character. “Just A Boy,” “Care Less More,” “I Don’t Exist,” and “We Lied To Each Other” have Olivia tearing down those posters. Lyrically, she has a singular way of making self-realization and accountability worthy pop jams. In each song she is realizing, on some level, that she has played a role in her heartbreaks. From the times she hated herself to the friends and boyfriends she chose to help her hate herself more, Was It Even Real? is her way of keeping it real. 

Vocally, Olivia has a signature, pop voice. It is soft, sugary, and plotted in how it rolls notes like rose petals around a stem. From “purpleworld” to “Love Myself,” her voice strays, stills, and then soars to reveal her journey to being real with herself. Hence, basslines mystify and synths streak to create the moody road of self-analysis. It is not easy to realize you are lying to yourself or that you made bad choices on purpose, of which  ”Just Friends,” “Inhibitions,” and “UDK” speak to such themes. Yet, the true magic of pop is that you can dance to such themes, of which Olivia O’Brien delvers. To Buy Olivia O’Brien’s Was It Even Real? On April 26 Click Here.