Olivia Rodrigo released her sophomore album, “GUTS,” Sept. 8, and after the success of her first album, “SOUR,” fans were thrilled to listen to new music by Rodrigo. Overall, the sound of the album is very reminiscent of an early 2000s movie and perfectly captures the teen angst experience in the best way possible.
The lyrics feel as though they are coming straight out of a teenage diary, which gives the album an extremely personal and intimate feel. At the same time, many of these lyrics are very relatable, which helps listeners feel connected to both the album and Rodrigo as an artist. Rodrigo has created an album with the perfect balance of making listeners want to scream the lyrics while dancing around with their friends and simultaneously sit on the floor with tissues and ice cream.
The second and third tracks on the album, “bad idea right?” and “vampire,” were both originally released as singles, and fans quickly fell in love with them despite the fact that the songs have wildly different sounds. “bad idea right?” has a very angsty, pop-punk tone, with Rodrigo writing about what it’s like visiting an ex-partner, even though you know deep down, it is not a good decision.
“vampire” has a much more melancholy tone, and uses mostly piano until the bridge of the song. In the bridge, the song elevates stylistically, emphasizing the anger Rodrigo felt when writing it. Both songs worked well as singles and gave a good glimpse into what the album would be like before it came out.
This album captures a large range of emotions. Some songs such as “get him back!,” which Rodrigo performed at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) this year, and “ballad of a homeschooled girl” have more petty and frustrating lyrics. With these songs, listeners are reminded that Rodrigo is a teenage girl who deals with negative emotions and relationship issues just like everyone else.
However, other songs such as “making the bed” and “logical” feel a lot more mature and contain lyrics which demonstrate feeling lost, disappointed and hurt. It is evident Rodrigo spent a lot of time working on this album and pouring her heart into her lyrics.
Overall, “GUTS” is a really strong album with songs that truly resonate with listeners. Whether a listener wants to dance and sing or scream and cry, this album has songs for every mood. Fans get to watch Rodrigo grow not only as a musician but also as a person through her albums, and she is only just getting started. “GUTS” is a great example of what Rodrigo is capable of producing and shows she has a bright career ahead of her.
