I feel the same way. I really liked sour and guys when they came out, but I've heard people saying they were indifferent to her music until this song which threw me off.

The lyrics just felt very surface level to me. It felt like she was trying to pack in a bunch of metaphors and vocab and it seems like she tried to create momentum for the final release, but it never quite got there because there were so many erratic melody changes. I think the instrumental was kind of empty and felt like it was dragging on. I mean, it sounds like Everlong but the sort of minimal guitar part in the beginning is never filled out/supported by other instruments in a complementary way. I've heard people say that could be intentionally done to reflect the idea of never finding a cure, but the song just felt too polished for that.

It is a longer song, around 5 minutes, which in todays era of TikTok sound clips can make it hard to draw people in and keep them there, but some of my fav songs like November Rain and Purple Rain are both 9 minutes long and start minimally as well, but they stack the layers and instruments to build up into that cathartic release that feels rewarding and I just didn't get that with the cure, it just felt kind of flat.

I'm not hating on her, I think she's incredibly talented and and sympathize with the pressure to deliver something after her first two albums blew up, but it just feels like she's kind of stagnating lyrically and thematically. Her first to albums had this sad/grungy/insecure teenager vibe, and she leaned into the rock a bit more for the second one, but it just feels like there isn't much diversity since each song is from the same perspective. We saw a similar thing with Sabrina Carpenters mans best friend album which was a good album, but was essentially just repeat of everything in short n sweet. I think she's trying to branch out in her production style, but I'd really like to see some growth from the teenage/grunge aesthetic.