On September 8th, singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo released her sophomore album, GUTS. After the huge success that Rodrigo’s debut album, SOUR, brought, fans were left eagerly waiting for its successor. The stakes were high for Rodrigo while making GUTS. Rodrigo debuted her musical career with her hit single “Drivers License” which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The rest of SOUR followed its success with another number-one single, as well as going number one on the Billboard 200. Rodrigo won three Grammys for SOUR and was nominated for seven including all of the big four categories. Given the critical acclaim that SOUR earned, Rodrigo knew that following it up would not be an easy feat. 

“I was having a lot of pressure and a lot of expectations placed on me… I really had to try to block out the noise and just focus on the craft of songwriting”, Rodrigo told Rolling Stone. 

After SOUR, critics were left wondering whether Rodrigo’s legacy would be one of a one-hit wonder, or if it was just the beginning of a long-lasting career. Well, now they know. GUTS  is out and here is my full review. 

At the beginning of summer, Rodrigo released the lead single to GUTS entitled “vampire”. Melodically the song was interesting and the lyrics were intriguing with Rodrigo’s vocals taking center stage. However, upon first listening, I wasn’t super impressed. It felt like another SOUR reject, as it was another piano ballad going into a big bridge section. Though interesting, that combination has been overdone in my opinion. 

A month and a half later, the second promotional single, “bad idea right?”, was released. Rodrigo channels her inner 2000s teenage grunge. In the verses, Rodrigo is recitative, talking about meeting up with an old ex. 

“Can’t two people reconnect. I only see him as a friend”, Rodrigo sings in the chorus. 

At first, I wasn’t in love with this experimental style and there was a large divide among fans as many felt that it was reductive and a regression of her lyricism. However, other fans thought it was a fun upbeat song that isn’t meant to be taken seriously. Eventually, it grew on me and I found myself listening to it more. Yet, I was still nervous for the rest of the album. My anxieties lay in the worry that it would be another ten tracks of similar two-minute pop rock tracks with an occasional ballad. However, that was far from the truth. 

GUTS opens with “all-american b****”. Rodrigo sings about being the perfect girl that people love. This song perfectly lays the groundwork for many themes that follow throughout the album. In this track, Rodrigo sings about forgiveness, beauty, and age over a soft rock track that eventually builds to a large outro. Listening to this song for the first time was excellent and I immediately resonated with many of its lyrics. “all-american b****” ends with a knock that flows into the next track, “bad idea right?”. The attention to detail shows the brilliance of not only Rodrigo but also her producer and co-writer, Dan Nigro. 

Rodrigo utilizes soft rock instrumentation on many tracks. Her intention was to make an album that is fun to play live. Rodrigo certainly accomplished this in “ballad of a homeschooled girl” where she sings about the awkwardness of being a teenager using the term “social suicide”. I loved this song immediately. Lyrically, I related but what got me was the fun and upbeat chorus. The song is familiar while still retaining a feeling of newness. Rodrigo’s relatability continues in ”love is embarrassing” where she sings about awkward encounters and planning her wedding with a guy she’ll never marry. This song is an underrated moment on the album that I’ve found myself replaying frequently because the hook and playfulness of its chorus never fails to up my mood. Rodrigo’s adlibs and delivery make this song a personal anthem in my book. 

“get him back!” is being promoted as the newest single from the album. While I do like this song, I think other single choices would showcase Rodrigo’s vocal and lyrical abilities better. Rodrigo truly hits the mark in my opinion on “making the bed”, “logical”, and “the grudge”. I typically enjoy the slower, sadder songs which is why I gravitate towards these three the most. These songs portray different heart-wrenching emotions in a beautiful light. Rodrigo’s lyricism stands out on these tracks as she is at her most vulnerable. 

The album’s closer “teenage dream” is a relatable ballad about the anxieties of growing up and being sad on birthdays. The message is one that everyone can resonate with, however, it is not a standout by any means. I find it boring at times and it can feel redundant compared to the other songs on the album. However, it is still an enjoyable experience to listen to it sometimes. For me, “teenage dream” doesn’t have the replay value that the other songs do. I find it boring at times and I would much rather listen to a different track. 

I’ve sat with this album for a week now and I can confidently say that Rodrigo is hitting every mark. GUTS showcases Rodrigo’s rawness and vulnerability in her lyricism and her sheer vocal strength and talent. Though there are a few filler tracks, none of them are skips in my book. GUTS is the only album I’ve listened to for the past week and I don’t see that changing for the foreseeable future. I was nervous to see how she followed up her debut, SOUR, but now I know that I had nothing to worry about. 

The following is my current ranking after a week’s listening: 

1. the grudge 
2. logical 
3. making the bed 
4. love is embarrassing 
5. all american b****
6. ballad of a homeschooled girl 
7. get him back! 
8. pretty isn’t pretty
9. bad idea right? 
10. vampire 
11. teenage dream
12. lacy

NOTE: the song titled “all american b****” has been censored for the CHS newspaper.