In 2021, Olivia Rodrigo captured the teenage experience in 11 tracks spanning 34 minutes and 41 seconds with her debut album “Sour.” Over two years later, she’s back with her sophomore album “GUTS”—another, much darker ode to youth and what comes after.
After a successful first album like “Sour,” there’s usually the fear of falling victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. Rodrigo managed to overcome this, not only matching the quality and success of her first album, but arguably surpassing it.
Around the time the album was originally announced, Rodrigo wrote “this album is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life.” It certainly conveys that message, blending alt-rock influences with soft emotional ballads to eloquently tell the story of a teenager becoming a young woman while in the public eye.
The first lead single, “Vampire,” features a soulful performance from Rodrigo backed by melancholy piano chords and crisp guitars. She laments about an emotionally abusive ex, quite literally calling them heartless at the bridge with the line “You can’t love anyone, ‘cause that would mean you had a heart.”
In the second lead single “Bad Idea, Right?” Rodrigo again discusses an ex-partner, but this time she does so to more upbeat instrumentals that bring forth the ‘90s vibes she seems to favor. In the song, Rodrigo knows that it’s a bad idea to see her ex again, and claims that seeing him couldn’t be helped—“I just tripped and fell into his bed.”
Along with the two lead singles, “Get Him Back!” and “All-American B*tch” received widespread attention. Both songs resemble “Bad Idea, Right?” with their angry, distorted guitars and angsty lyrics.
In “Get Him Back!”, amid layered vocals and emphasized percussion, Rodrigo proclaims “I wanna get him back, I wanna make him really jealous, wanna make him feel sad.” She juggles feelings of anger with her desire to rekindle a problematic relationship, a theme that she weaves through the whole album.
“All-American B*tch” is a critique of the unrealistic standards set for American women. Switching between the chorus and the verses, the song goes back and forth between grungy rock and soft melodies. This stark contrast emphasizes the chorus feeling like an emotional dam breaking when the expectation to be everything and simultaneously not too much becomes too much. Rodrigo also includes references to ‘90s pop culture as a nod to the ‘90s-esque style of the song.
“Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” and “Love is Embarrassing” bring the same punk rock energy to Rodrigo’s lamentations of her love life.
Many of the album’s deeper tracks are sonically closer to “Vampire.” “The Grudge” tackles the same issue of a toxic relationship, though less aggressively. Instead, it details the effects the relationship had on her rather than the wrongdoings of the other person.
Insecurity is a major theme on the album as well. “Lacy” describes a “perfect girl” to whom Rodrigo compares herself in soft, lilting tones with a gentle piano behind it. In “Pretty Isn’t Pretty,” Rodrigo sings “Pretty isn’t pretty enough,” as she vocalizes the struggle of maintaining a certain appearance as a young woman and keeping up with superfluous trends.
“GUTS” ends with “Teenage Dream,” which is the best track Rodrigo could’ve chosen to wrap up the album. “They all say that it gets better, it gets better the more you grow,” Rodrigo repeats after several verses that examine her transition to adulthood. The song feels like a sadder older sister to the song “Brutal” from “Sour,” as Rodrigo is no longer criticizing the idea that one’s teenage years are supposed to be their best, and has instead moved on to questioning whether adulthood will be an improvement upon her teen years.
Overall, “GUTS” is a very well-written and -produced album. It stays true to Rodrigo’s style on “Sour” while also taking on heavier topics in a more adult way. Through all the grunge and punk and angst, “GUTS” is a melancholy diary entry of an album. Rodrigo reflects on jealousy, betrayal and insecurity, baring her soul and letting us cry and laugh and scream with her.
