Olivia O’Brien is back with her third single release of 2023 titled “Bandaid On A Bullet Hole." This highly anticipated single follows the vulnerable “Born With A Broken Heart” and the punchy “i should’ve fucked your brother," the start of O’Brien’s promising career as an independent artist. 

O’Brien’s rise to fame came from the hit song “i hate u, i love u” – a song she had penned at the young age of 16. She’s never been a stranger to profound songwriting and genre-bending, weaving through genres like R&B (“We Lied To Each Other,” “Fuck Feelings,”) Juicy bubblegum pop (“Jossyln," “Bitch Back”) and earnest transparent ballads (“RIP," “Born With a Broken Heart”). What makes O’Brien unique as a songwriter is her ability to convey the narrative of Gen-Zers acutely through tongue in cheek assertions with the confidence of a Y2K main character. 

Olivia O’Brien’s new era is personal and inspiring – grappling with issues of self-esteem, addiction, and turbulent relationship drama. “Bandaid On A Bullet Hole'' focuses on the singer’s battle with unhealthy coping mechanisms, she says "I've used a lot of things over the years to help me simply survive, when I should've been trying to properly solve my problems. I’m poking fun at how silly it was for me to be content with temporary fixes for so long. Everybody has their vices, but let it be known that bandaids do NOT fix bullet holes.” 

The track has the vocal gusto of Miley Cyrus and instrumentals that blanket O’Brien’s crooning with electric guitar and impactful drums. Her language is strong and metaphorical like “You shot an arrow right through my heart" and “I’m not a hero but I save myself / cuz I keep a couple tricks under my belt / I’ve got one to help me sleep / one to help me keep my sanity,” and the chorus “I’ll just put another band aid on another bullet hole.” 

Olivia O'Brien stunningly captures the means of managing the emotional challenges many of us are faced with in our daily lives with earnest lyrics and bravado.

‍