Olivia Rodrigo released her 12-track sophomore album, Guts, on September 8th. Guts captures Rodrigo’s evolution from the 17-year-old writer of Sour to now entering adulthood, and is both poignant and witty.
Rodrigo explores painfully relatable experiences and allows a collective release of frustration through her music. As someone who was freshly 18 when Sour was released, I found myself reflected in Rodrigo’s honest lyricism. Now at 20, Guts cuts even deeper.
The no-skips album opens with ‘all-american bitch’. Rodrigo proves her vocal and lyrical maturity, experimenting with a delicate tone in the verses while descending into an explosive chorus. This song masterfully captures her inner rage and resistance against a perfect ideal of a well-behaved young woman.
Next are the two singles of the album. ‘bad idea right?’ has rightfully gained popularity as a catchy and self-aware track which sounds very much like a debrief from a friend about her messy decisions. Meanwhile, Rodrigo’s stunning vocals in ‘vampire’ relay a painful experience within a creative narrative.
Her artistry is displayed in the beautifully complex ‘lacy’. The song’s frustrated lyrics and gentle tone are at odds with one another, reflecting her complicated relationship with her female subject, which is steeped in both admiration and loathing. In ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’, Rodrigo combats her difficult feelings about her experiences with self-deprecating humour and delivers a striking pop-rock anthem for those of us who are habitually socially awkward.
‘making the bed’ is introspective and powerful, as Rodrigo is open about navigating her place in the world and her overthinking tendencies. It is telling of how authentic her music is and explains why it has such an intense impact. Next is ‘logical’, a contemplative track. Her impressive vocals express a mix of heartache and anger, especially towards her past self for being unable to see the reality of her situation at the time.
‘get him back!’ is revengeful yet fun, with notable lyrics including: “Wanna kiss his face / With an uppercut” and “I wanna meet his mom / Just to tell her her son sucks”. ‘love is embarrassing’ details Rodrigo’s exasperation and angst about “some weird second string / Loser who’s not worth mentioning”. The track is upbeat and vocally experimental, with a fun 2000s influence.
In ‘the grudge’, Rodrigo unleashes her real feelings after hiding them for too long. It is reminiscent of her debut single, ‘drivers license’, musically and vocally, and it is clear that her music remains grounded in vulnerability. ‘pretty isn’t pretty’ is devastating but truthful, as Rodrigo explores the difficulty of outgrowing the insecurities she described in the Sour track, ‘jealousy, jealousy’.
The album fittingly ends with ‘teenage dream’, as Rodrigo’s teenage years have come to an end. She details the difficult emotions which accompany entering adulthood, questioning, “Will I spend all the rest of my years wishin’ I could go back?” Her anxiety is clear as the intensity of the song builds. The album ends not with closure, but with a question: “Yeah, they all say that it gets better, it gets better, but what if I don’t?” Rodrigo leaves room for growth, as neither she nor us are able to answer this question yet.
Guts is a remarkable balance of anger, heartache and humour, much like leaving your teenage years behind and navigating early adulthood. Rodrigo’s music has a distinct style, with 90s and 2000s influences, yet each song within the album is varied and inventive. With Guts, Rodrigo has arguably secured her place as a pop-rock star.
9/10
