Album Review: Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

Following the huge popularity and critical success of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR, there was a lot of pressure on her young shoulders to produce an equally good or better sophomore effort. She talked about how this pressure affected her writing process in an interview with Rolling Stone: ‘The beginning was really hard. I felt like I couldn’t write a song without thinking about what other people were going to think of it. There were definitely days where I found myself sitting at the piano, excited to write a song, and then cried.’ GUTS proves Rodrigo overcame this struggle: it is undeniably a triumph and shows development in her sound, lyricism and production techniques.

Rodrigo’s ability to select singles remains strong

Rodrigo’s ability to select singles remains strong. ‘vampire’, ‘bad idea right?’ and ‘get him back!’ display her range and the versatility of this album. ‘vampire’ showcases her vocal talent as she belts many impressive notes. It also demonstrates an advancement in maturity and creativity within her lyricism. The lyric ‘How’s the castle built off people you pretend to care about?’ depicts a guy who used Rodrigo and others to increase his own fame, and the cold simplicity of ‘Went for me, and not her, / ‘Cause girls your age know better’ suggests that this guy took advantage of her. It is a song filled with anger. ‘bad idea right?’ exhibits a very different side of GUTS: the fun side. Rodrigo’s talkative style works really well in this song; it feels like she is debating with herself about whether or not to see her ex again. The lines ‘And I’m sure I’ve seen much hotter men / But I really can’t remember when’ are particularly strong – they are some of the sharpest across the album. The instrumental is also excellent; the drums and guitars ramp up into an incredible final chorus.

You instantly know this song is going to be a whale of a time

‘get him back!’ opens with a voice note of a musician saying ‘1, 2, 3. Wait, is this the song with the drums?’. You instantly know this song is going to be a whale of a time. Rodrigo sings about wanting to get revenge on an ex-boyfriend while also wanting to get back together with him. The conflicting emotions come to a head in the brilliant bridge as she says she wants to ‘break his heart and stitch it right back up’. Great writing combined with the fun guitar line make this song incredibly catchy, and a particular highlight of GUTS. The latter two singles display the rock influences on the album, but these influences are exemplified in the opening track, ‘all-american bitch’. This song is about the often contradictory societal expectations that are placed on women in America and, to a large extent, the whole world. The lyrics are reminiscent of America Fererra’s Barbie monologue. The instrumentation reflects the rollercoaster that is feminine rage. The calm acoustic guitar verses give way to raucous choruses and a bridge that involves Rodrigo literally screaming before the song ends on a calm note.

Rodrigo does not forget that her first musical success was with the raw heartbreak ballad ‘driver’s licence’

Rodrigo does not forget that her first musical success was with the raw heartbreak ballad ‘driver’s licence’ and includes several ballads alongside ‘vampire’ on GUTS. ‘the grudge’ risks just replicating ‘driver’s licence’, but ‘making the bed’, ‘logical’ and ‘teenage dream’, are incredible. In ‘making the bed’, Rodrigo interpolates the phrase ‘You’ve made your bed, now lie in it’ as she acknowledges that fame is not what she dreamed it would be, but simultaneously accepts that she chose this path for herself. ‘logical’ uses beautiful imagery and raw vocals to demonstrate the ridiculous things you can believe when you are in love. Meanwhile, ‘teenage dream’ is probably a little too relatable for university students. Rodrigo’s voice soars as she sings ‘They all say that it gets better/ It gets better the more you grow/ Yeah, they all say that it gets better/ It gets better, but what if I don’t?’

Overall, GUTS is a very accomplished second album and it proves that Olivia Rodrigo is a star who will continue to shine for many years to come.