Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, “GUTS”, is a perfect finale to a 2000s-inspired coming-of-age story.
Most popular coming-of-age stories occur in high school, concluding with graduation and the bittersweetness of leaving your childhood behind as you head off to whatever is next. Rodrigo’s first album, 2021 hit “SOUR,” is that high school story. However, struggle and personal growth don’t stop after you leave high school, and “GUTS” is the follow-up to what comes next in life.
Drawing comparisons to the mid-2000s releases of Avril Lavigne and Miley Cyrus, the 12-track album resonates perfectly with a college-aged crowd as it covers the struggles of getting over relationships, entering adulthood and finding yourself in all of its messy glory.
More pop-punk and rock-influenced than “SOUR”, “GUTS” holds no punches as Rodrigo airs her grievances through punchy lyrics. The album starts with “all-american bitch”, where a soft guitar and sweetly sung intro gives way to harsh electric guitars and yelled lyrics in the chorus creating the juxtaposition between how a young woman is expected to act in public vs. the thoughts in her head. A similar sentiment is shared later on in “pretty isn’t pretty”, though with less anger and more exhaustion.
The lead single, “vampire”, released in June, takes aim at an older ex-boyfriend as it details the aftermath of realizing you were taken advantage of at a young age. While “vampire” is a great song, upon hearing the rest of the album it feels like it would have worked better as an album track, or simply released later.
Sonically, it does not hold the same punch as many of the other songs on the album. Instead, it lends itself better to the ballads, “logical” and “the grudge,”. A better lead single could have been either her second single, “bad idea right?” or the third single “get him back!”
Part of Rodrigo’s charm is her witty one-liners woven into the winding storylines of her songs. In “bad idea right?” Rodrigo theorizes that she’s sure she’s seen much hotter men, but she really can’t remember when. In “get him back!” she softly wishes to kiss her ex’s face with an uppercut.
These small moments of immaturity are what makes it the perfect college album. Tinged with the self-awareness so often lacking in high school, the moments of “speak-singing” that create controversy among listeners feel more like sitting around a dining hall table gossiping with your friends.
Beyond the singles, there are standout tracks in “ballad of a homeschooled girl” and “love is embarrassing”. Both are high-energy songs that poke fun at Rodrigo’s social awkwardness and ability to fall in love fast and stupidly.
The ballad “lacy” is also a bright spot on the album. Moving away from the woes of her love life, “lacy” depicts jealousy of another girl with a more mature sound than “SOUR’s” “jealously, jealously”.
Overall, GUTS is a cohesive body of work that should put up well to the test of time through its use and reimagining of already popular sounds. In the final track, “teenage dream”, Rodrigo laments her fears about getting older and whether or not she hit her peak as a teenager. If anything, GUTS proves to listeners that Rodrigo does get better the more that she grows.
