Spilling my “GUTS” on Olivia Rodrigo’s Sophomore Album
Written and Graphic by Liz Garcia
Pop punk is not dead—Olivia Rodrigo just saved it from falling into a six-foot deep grave with her freshly released sophomore album, “GUTS.” Since her explosive, Grammy-winning debut record, “SOUR,” audiences have been highly anticipating the 20-year-old Pisces’ next escapade in music. The past two years have been as still as the dark night for Rodrigo fans until a blood-sucking gift was delivered: “vampire.” The lead single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Off the bat, “vampire” resembled the heart-wrenching ballads off Rodrigo’s previous album, beginning with hauntingly somber piano notes and a crescendoing chorus that ends in a belting climax with the lyrics, “Bloodsucker, famefucker.” But Rodrigo and collaborator, Dan Nigro, quickly abandon the melancholia by the second verse, introducing a high-energy beat with pop production elements. One month later, “bad idea right?” came marching in like an angsty teen with black converse, a catchy bass line, and some questionable decision-making. The second charting single recounts the temptation of a late-night hookup—the talk of an older sister who comes home by crawling through her window. Olivia Rodrigo is no longer the wide-eyed 17 year old who found herself in a tangle of overnight success: “I’ve experienced a lot of emotional turmoil over having all these feelings of rage and dissatisfaction that I felt like I couldn’t express, especially in my job,” she confirms in an interview with The Guardian.
“GUTS” unabashedly explores manipulative relationships, rejects the people-pleasing-pop-star mold, confesses the cycle of overthinking from social anxiety, and shamelessly admits to wanting a hint of revenge: Rodrigo doesn’t shy away from honesty on this record. She exposes her bare bones, singing about undefeatable beauty standards in “pretty isn’t pretty” and lamenting her youth being pulled out from under her like a rug in the closing track, “teenage dream.”
After overnight success, Olivia Rodrigo was thrown into a cage like an animal for the world to watch—a rite of passage when entering fame. “all-american bitch,” describes the rigid pop-star etiquette pushed onto Rodrigo: “And I am built like a mother and a total machine,” “All the time/I’m grateful all the time/I’m sexy, and I’m kind/I’m pretty when I cry.” The sonic juxtaposition of the angelic acoustic verses with the pop-punk chorus fosters a sense of irony and distaste from the artist’s perspective. “ballad of a homeschooled girl” reveals the socially humiliating circumstances Rodrigo finds herself in; “love is embarrassing” openly shares the humbling experiences from the treacherous joyride of love; and new female revenge anthem “get him back!” professes the urge to get even with a subpar ex. With her candid songwriting, Olivia Rodrigo reveals another scarily-relatable album penned with authentic experiences.
While “SOUR” was uniquely centered around a tragic teenage heartbreak, audiences witness a transition to adulthood in “GUTS” that Olivia Rodrigo has stumbled into. In some ways, “GUTS” feels like an older sister to the debut album: Teenage boys turn into beguiling older men, insecurities only grow bigger, and delusional impressions of love come back to bite you: everything has twisted into a complicated knot of emotions. “It’s so much about growing up and finding your footing in the world,” says Rodrigo. These experiences are universal and widely sung about (see: Lorde’s Pure Heroine or Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever), but shifting to a rock genre sets Olivia Rodrigo apart from her peers. Hints of pop-punk were sprinkled throughout “SOUR,” “brutal” and “good 4 u” being the most notable. Moving in this direction for “GUTS” perfectly encapsulates the angst and rage that comes with the growing pains of adulthood. Despite this creative switch, which suits Rodrigo’s powerful voice, she still beautifully incorporates her signature ballads we heard on “SOUR,” making songs like “making the bed,” “logical,” and “the grudge” lyrical and vocal standouts on the album.
At merely 20 years old, Olivia Rodrigo has been through a lot of emotional turmoil. Undoubtedly, the “vampire” singer delivers another impressive album full of gut-wrenching lyrics and electric guitar riffs to drown out the complex trials of adulthood. Crowned pop’s biggest star after “SOUR,” Rodrigo has no issue stomping on everyone’s castles of expectations with her signature Marc Jacobs sky-high boots. An album heavily influenced by rock and its sub-genres, “GUTS” brings listeners thrashable songs, heavy guitar, and sincere coming-of-age stories. Inspiring everyone to unleash their inner 2000’s teen spirit, Olivia Rodrigo is revitalizing pop-punk music in mainstream media with a glimmer of emerging adulthood.
My Top 3 Favorites:
love is embarrassing
making the bed
all-american bitch