Rodrigo digests teen angst into cathartic Guts on latest release

Two years after leaving a Sour taste in listeners’ minds, Olivia Rodrigo has decided to spill her Guts, right onto the Billboard charts and into the ears of countless fans. 

Rodrigo, a former Disney Channel star, suddenly blew up on the scene with her hit single, “Drivers’ License” in 2021, revamping the pop punk genre. Later that same year, she released her debut album, Sour, which included hits such as, “Good 4 U” and “Deja Vu.” Her debut album was met with critical acclaim and Rodrigo was praised for her raw, honest songs, drawing on the teen experience. This summer, the singer primed the pump by releasing two singles off the new album, “Vampire,” which debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard Top 100, and “Bad Idea Right?” Rodrigo dropped the full album on September 8, and once again has done a fantastic job of navigating the messy ups and downs of teen life.

First off, she jumpstarts the energy through the upbeat songs on the album: “All American B—”, a salty and sweet album opener, compares societal expectations to Rodrigo’s reality. “Bad Idea Right?” offers up a playful song about reconnecting with an ex-lover. The former child prodigy rocks expectations with “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” which, contrary to the name, is not actually a ballad, but a rock-like song about social awkwardness. After hitting the nail on the head by singing that teenage “Love is Embarrassing,” Rodrigo closes out the energy with “Get Him Back!”, an indecisive, sinister tune about trying to get back with an ex using impractical methods. The other seven tracks sonically contrast the songs before. “Vampire” and “Logical” share a common subject, a messy, toxic relationship with an older man. “Lacy”, a slow, sweet song about jealousy, and “Pretty Isn’t Pretty” offer sadder versions of “All-American B----”, reflecting on not living up to beauty standards. “Making the Bed” offers self deprecation during a trip through Rodrigo’s rise to fame.“The Grudge” takes a Swiftian approach by tearing into someone who hurt and betrayed the singer.

Very short, with 12 songs in total, Guts clocks in at just under 40 minutes, giving it a feeling of incompleteness. As for the tracks themselves, the album is fairly front-loaded. The three best singles (except “Get Him Back!”) are at the very beginning of the release. The end of the album, specifically the last three songs, “The Grudge”, “Pretty Isn’t Pretty”, and “Teenage Dream,” are all sad songs, ending the album in a melancholic way. Note to Rodrigo’s producer, pacing would be improved if one of the more upbeat songs appeared at the end of the album.

Guts presents an interesting variety of sounds from the frantic rock on songs such as “Bad Idea Right?” and “Get Him Back!” to the soft, melodic tones of “Teenage Dream” and “Logical”. Throughout the album, three main instruments can be heard: the piano, guitar, and drums. The instruments play an important role in the album in that they display the overall range of Rodrigo’s style. The piano makes ballads like “Vampire” sound more emotional while the drums take charge on the more upbeat songs like “Bad Idea Right?”, giving the album a more rock-like feel. 

This release echoes Sour in a few ways as the previously released “Jealousy, Jealousy” expresses envy, as the name suggests; In “Lacy”, Rodrigo now expresses jealousy, but this time in a deeper and almost obsessive way. An important theme in Rodrigo’s music is betrayal, shown first in “Traitor” and now in “The Grudge.” An interesting difference between the two songs is that “Traitor” specifically details the situation that made Rodrigo feel betrayed, but “The Grudge” does not, leaving the song open to each individual's interpretation and vicarious experience. Guts feels like a mature older sister to Sour, still keeping true to its ideas, but raising the stakes.

Overall, Guts is a chaotic, short, and entertaining sophomore release, perfect for older teens. The genre fluctuates from rock to pop to ballad, as lyrics vary. Still, Rodrigo stays true to her style, as defined in Sour, and expresses all her emotions and teenage angst once again. It takes “guts” to produce an album like this, but Rodrigo proved that she still has them.

Overall Grade: A-

Oliva Rodrigo’s new album GUTS is an emotional rollercoaster of an album that older teens will love, expressing a style very similar to SOUR.

by Chloe Lusvardi

Published October 2 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue I