When former Disney actress Olivia Rodrigo released her debut album Sour (2021), it took the world by storm. Receiving multiple awards, millions of streams and three Grammy awards, Rodrigo proved she is an outstanding singer and songwriter.
As of September 8, she has re-established her name in the music industry with the debut of her sophomore album GUTS.
This album was a masterpiece to me immediately upon first listen. Rodrigo branched out from an album full of slow, emotional songs and mixed in more of a pop-rock sound with tracks like “ballad of a homeschooled girl” and “get him back!” while also keeping the gentle, sad tracks too.
The overall vibe of GUTS can be summed up in one word: cool. Rodrigo went for more of a grungy, pop anthem vibe with a lot of her songs and executed it perfectly in the end. Music critics agree that Rodrigo has transitioned to a more energetic vibe.
“It is a collection of bratty rocker-chick anthems and soul-searching ballads that could slot into the soundtrack of any classic high school flick,” Cat Zhang said in a review on Pitchfork.
With her second album, Rodrigo was able to perfectly capture the feeling of girlhood and the messy feelings that come with growing up and young heartbreak. The sixth track on the album, “making the bed”, is a melancholy anthem that reflects that feeling flawlessly with lyrics like “I’m so tired of being the girl that I am every good thing is turning to something I dread” and “they tell me that they love like I’m some tourist attraction.” These lyrics made me feel like Rodrigo was taking a look into my life as a teenage girl through the dwindling satisfaction of her life by way of her lyrics.
Another track with this feeling is “teenage dream” which accentuates a reflection of the anxieties that come with becoming older. Rodrigo’s beautiful lyricism is worthy of recognition and connects to others outside of myself.
“I think the lyrics of some of her songs are almost more mature. Her lyrics have evolved from SOUR and so the songs that related to me spoke to me better because the lyrics were clear,” junior Kendall McCready said.
“Pretty isn’t pretty” is an in depth portrayal of the insecurities and unrealistic female beauty standards that girls deal with. It has many lyrics that underline this, for example “you fix the things you hated but you’d still feel so insecure” and “everybody’s keeping it up so you think it’s you.” These lyrics are very relatable and Rodrigo perfectly encapsulated the feeling of self-doubt.
A listener finds themselves blown away with the rage and heartbreak tapped in many songs.
The first single on GUTS, “Vampire” tells the story of a young girl feeling betrayed and manipulated by a lover. Despite the heartbreaking feeling, it is one of my favorite songs on GUTS. Rodrigo’s vocals are breathtaking and her songwriting talents are evident on this track, especially in the chorus when she sings “I used to think I was smart
but you made me look so naive, the way you sold me for parts.” I loved this part, and the whole chorus, because of the amount of passion and vulnerability in the lyrics.
Many fans have taken a liking to the relatability and variety of the album.
“I think that in this album she touched on more topics in her life instead of the same topic she did in SOUR, so I liked that,” McCready said. “In SOUR, if you listen to the album all the way through [the songs] sound similar because they are all about the same things. [GUTS] has more variety in things that she is talking about.
A song that really stood out to me was “lacy.” The vocals on this track were so hauntingly beautiful and the meaning behind it is amazing. It has grown to be my favorite song on the album. The song tells the story of a feeling of envy towards a girl in Rodrigo’s life, and I think every girl can relate to this at some point in her life because of the constant comparison to other figures in their lives.
“In one lens, Rodrigo embraces her inferiority complex by personifying the beauty of women she’s intimidated by in this “Lacy” character,” Genius.com said in a description of the song.
Along with the stellar vocals and lyricism, I was also impressed by the production of the album. With unique instrumentals and different chords throughout all of the songs, Rodrigo has thoroughly outdone herself.
Overall, GUTS is a notably exceptional album that is worth listening to. It is a perfect and accurate depiction of young heartache and inferiority.
