Olivia Rodrigo released her highly anticipated sophomore album, “GUTS” on September 8th. This is coming two years after her debut, “Sour” reached critical acclaim and earned Rodrigo 3 Grammy’s. The stakes were high with this project, and Rodrigo did not disappoint.
“GUTS” is a diverse body of work that shows Rodrigo’s artistic growth since her debut. While last album was centered around breakups, this one speaks more on the struggles of growing up.
Rodrigo was smart when choosing the singles for this album. “vampire” and “bad idea, right?” show off this album’s biggest strengths perfectly and gave listeners a taste of what was to come on the record. “vampire” being a piano ballad that Rodrigo said had goth opera influences, and “bad idea, right?” having major 2000s pop punk undertones.
One of the tracks that stand out the most is the albums opening track “all-american bitch”. This opener serves as a nice reminder of the opener of “Sour”, “Brutal”. “all-american bitch” is “brutal’s” older, unhinged sister. As Rodrigo is half Filipina, many of these snarky lyrics could also be used as commentary on what is not only expected of a young budding rockstar, but rather expected of Asian-American women.
One of the best out of the ballads on the album is titled “logical”. Not only is this one of the best tracks lyrically, but Rodrigo’s delivery makes it even better. The way the second verse leads into a bridge with nothing but a synth and Rodrigo’s belting make it so impactful, like a punch in the guts. Taking accountability for your mistakes is a common theme on the record, like on track “making the bed”. This is a relatable, self-reflecting song where Rodrigo accepts that she is responsible for some of the biggest hurtles in her life.
On the more rock inspired tracks, “get him back!” is a super catchy song with clever play on words. Not only does Rodrigo want to quite literally get back with her ex, but she also wants to get back at him for all he’s done to her. It’s super playful and tongue and cheek. Rodrigo isn’t afraid to get bratty on this track, with witty lines such as “I wanna kiss his face with an uppercut, I wanna meet his mom, Tell her her son sucks!”
“GUTS” takes everything “Sour” was lacking and improved and solidified Rodrigo’s sound. The record shows so much growth and character and the critics are already raving about it, Rolling Stone even calling it an instant classic.