World-renowned rockstar Olivia Rodrigo spilled her guts to the world on September 8th, 2023 with the release of her highly anticipated sophomore album GUTS. Ever since her first single “Driver’s License,” released in January of 2021, and her debut album SOUR was released later that year, fans have been anxiously waiting for whatever incredible projects she will release next.
Before we dig any deeper into this album, I think that it’s important that we discuss the perfection of the lead singles. When “vampire” came out in June of this year, fans were shocked by the difference between this song and her previous works. Though on the surface it might sound similar to SOUR, the difference really lies in the maturity of her lyrics. Rodrigo has always had a way with words, but hearing her describe something as simple as a bad relationship by saying “Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise,” really set the poetic tone of the ballads of GUTS. Similarly the second single “Bad idea right?” provided insight into the new, more rocky, and more punky sound that Rodrigo would take advantage of later in the record.
Throughout this record, Rodrigo explored her capability with a number of new sounds. When GUTS was announced, many fans were anticipating the classic Rodrigo pop that they had become accustomed to, but they were instead surprised by only a few true pop songs that accompanied some grunge rock and some almost indie/folk-sounding tunes. “lacy” is a song that fits in this indie/folk category that many have related to the sound of Gracie Abrams. Unexpectedly, “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” was not a ballad at all, and turned out to be one of the more rocky songs on the whole album. I personally loved this song variety and hope to see Rodrigo play off of this going forward in her career.
Though it’s true that Rodrigo shifted her sound to fit her personal style better, I think that this decision also came from a place of wanting to differentiate her style from that of other artists. When SOUR came out, there were many allegations against her and the creativity of her songs. Fans had pointed out that her music sounded too similar to other artists including Taylor Swift and Paramore. I don’t feel that these accusations were fair seeing as Rodrigo was a young girl trying to make her mark in the industry, and I don’t think it’s okay for people to discredit her creativity without reason. Though I personally never saw these similarities, I believe that Rodrigo is doing all that she can to avoid suspicion going forward.
Another thing I loved about this album was the relatability and authenticity of the subject matter. During the closing track, “teenage dream,” Rodrigo detailed the pressure she felt to write another hit to follow the tremendous success of SOUR. I think everyone, including myself, can relate to the general fear that the best is already behind us. “Ballad of a homeschooled girl” is another track that I find painfully relatable. Though I am not homeschooled, the feeling of being embarrassed by every little thing that I do is not incredibly foreign to me.
GUTS is an incredible album that shattered my expectations. I believe that this album is better than SOUR, which was not an easy thing to accomplish. Rodrigo continues to impress me with all that she does, and I am beyond ecstatic to see all that she will do in the future.