Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album “GUTS” is a confident step forward that remains in touch with her earlier work. “GUTS” is as tightly themed as “SOUR”, Rodrigo’s first released album, and keeps the spotlight on the artist’s signature sound while exploring a larger variety of instrumental and vocal styles. The album starts strong and rarely lets up throughout its 40-minute runtime.
The album’s opening track, “all-american bitch,” is an accurate forecast of the entire album’s musical and lyrical motifs. The beat switching from a slow pop melody to an angsty rock-inspired one makes righteous anger out of lyrics that are obviously intended to portray innocence and naivete. This theme of objectivity and self-assurance in times of heartbreak and conflict echo throughout the following eleven tracks; it makes evident her artistic and personal growth since her 2021 release of “SOUR”.
The next two tracks, “bad idea right?” and “vampire” were initially released as singles, and they are as representative of Rodrigo’s creative direction as the first track. The composition of the tracks themselves showcase both the pensive lyricism and energetic, high-tempo harmonies that are so prevalent on opposite sides of the project. Her emotions show a stark contrast to her earlier works, with a depth of anger that has never been present before.
One of the highlights of the album is “making the bed,” a sorrowful song exploring an inevitable heartbreak caused by one’s own behavior. It features a hook with an unreal, unique melody that seems to symbolize the track’s themes of cycles and inevitability. Another is “get him back!”, one of the most rock-infused pieces in the album. It features fun, entertaining lyrics with incredibly distinct delivery and is a concentrated display of the singer’s new flippant attitude regarding relationships and heartbreak.
The penultimate track, “pretty isn’t pretty,” is another one that fits in the border between pop and rock. It’s a more evolved take on some of the themes of “SOUR”, regarding the intersection between misogyny and consumerism. Bookending the album is “teenage dream,” a song that is inverse to the opening track. Its construction twists the condescending repetitions into an orchestra of fear and worry. It’s a demonstration of her apprehension as her life and career enter new phases.
While the album has many highlights, there are some detracting elements. For instance, “logical” is as boring as it is trite. It sounds like a cheap attempt at recreating her earlier work, and the lyric “2 + 2 = 5” is enough to make the listener physically recoil. Unfortunately, it’s the longest track on the album. On the opposite side of the spectrum is “ballad of a homeschooled girl.” It combines the project’s opposing themes of naivete and satirical disbelief, being an all-out release of the angst that stems from being a young woman in a school’s social outskirts. The song is heavily rock inspired and could almost be considered punk-pop. It’s not an undebatable no-skip like “SOUR” may have been, but the vast majority of the tracks on “GUTS” are definitely well-crafted and fresh.
Throughout “GUTS,” the artist’s new personality and tastes are apparent. Rodrigo’s musical persona is much less naive, but still messy and dramatic, adding a new element to her character’s story. The album showcases the variety in her vocals, exhibiting her emotional and tonal range like never before. It’s an evolution of the singer we’re used to, and it proves that she’s able to use new styles and adapt to new influences proficiently.
4/5
