Olivia Rodrigo has proven her place in the music industry and is here to stay with the release of her sophomore album GUTS. After a month of reflection, here are my thoughts.
On September 8th, 2023, Olivia Rodrigo released a 40-minute showcase of girlhoods’ relationship with pure teen-angst. Following the success of her debut album SOUR, Rodrigo set essentially impossible standards to meet, but she definitely exceeded my expectations with GUTS.
With SOUR, Rodrigo embraced her place as a voice for Gen Z’s teens and young adults, writing incredibly authentic and relatable songs. With her newest release, she has done it again but now holds a new level of maturity.
GUTS is a new-age pop-punk album that would perfectly fit in the soundtrack to any coming-of-age movie. The album completely encompasses what it feels like to live in today’s world as a young girl.
“all-american bitch” is the album opener, a song that mirrors Isabella Giovanni’s “17 Real-Life Would-You-Rathers” and borrows the title phrase from Joan Didion’s work. This track deserves to be one of your favorites. Rodrigo brilliantly switches between a soft melodic tune to an angsty rock beat, an emphasis on the ridiculousness of societal standards of an ideal woman.
The next two tracks are the singles released from the album; “bad idea right?” and “vampire.” These songs gained Rodrigo some serious traction, skyrocketing to the top of the charts upon each release. “vampire” is the angsty ballad every heartbroken girl needs, while “bad idea right?” encompasses the feeling of missing that ex.
If you’re going to listen to only a couple of songs from the album, I’d recommend “making the bed” and “love is embarrassing.” After a month of reflection, these are my absolute favorites. Rodrigo has managed to reach a level of lyricism that most artists take much longer to achieve. The GUTS producer Daniel Nigro is also to be praised, pairing Rodrigo’s stunning vocals with complimenting synth chords and his own take on pop-punk.
Critics may argue that Rodrigo’s album caters to a niche audience, but that appears to be her intention. The lyric, “I know my age and I act like it,” from the opening song, sets the stage for an album that unapologetically explores the complexities of being a young woman in today’s society. This message resonates deeply in the closing track, “teenage dream,” where Rodrigo reflects on the pressure to mature prematurely and the fear of losing one’s youth. The artist wows listeners with the heart-wrenchingly relatable lyrics “When am I gonna stop being great for my age and just start being good… / When am I gonna stop being wise beyond my years and just start being wise… / You’re only 19, but I fear that they already got all the best parts of me, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t always be your teenage dream.”
Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS is a remarkable addition to her discography, proving that she has successfully navigated the sophomore slump. With this album, she breaks free from societal expectations, embracing her identity as a relatable figure for the girls who listen to her music. GUTS was highly anticipated and undoubtedly delivered. We can only anticipate with excitement what Rodrigo will create next.