Jealousy. Grief. Bad ideas. Anxiety. Olivia Rodrigo’s GRAMMY-nominated second album, “GUTS”, twists together pop and rock with lyrics that encapsulate the complex feelings of adolescence.
After the smashing success of Rodrigo’s “SOUR”– including the chart-topping “drivers license”- the stakes were high for the Disney star-turned-musician’s second album. “SOUR” was a capsule of heartbreak, but “GUTS” comes from a new point in Rodrigo’s life. As she said in an interview with Vogue, “GUTS” is an album “about figuring stuff out, about failures and successes and making mistakes.” Rodrigo, along with her co-writer and producer Daniel Nigro, captures these experiences beautifully.
The album opens with “all-american”, which begins with dainty verses about Rodrigo’s elegance and poise. The guitars and drums rev up in the chorus, and Rodrigo allows spite to creep into her vocals. “all-american ” sheds perfectionism, seeming to preview the rest of the album. On “GUTS”, Rodrigo is unafraid to spill hers.
This feeling of vulnerability is especially strong in Rodrigo’s devastating ballads. The album’s scathing lead single, “vampire” uses a vampire metaphor to describe the draining nature of a toxic partner. “vampire’s” reverberating, upbeat bridge suits itself to being blasted on the radio. However, two of the album’s quieter ballads, “logical” and “the grudge”, carry the same powerful emotion with soft vocals and a simple piano or guitar.
“logical” repeats many of the same themes as “vampire” about manipulation and toxicity. While this song isn’t as intense as the lead single, its lyrics still hit hard. In “the grudge”, Rodrigo attempts to reckon with a damaging relationship that still haunts her. “It takes strength to forgive, but I don’t feel strong,” she sings, her voice wavering.
But “GUTS” isn’t all sad melodies and mournful lyrics. Rodrigo has range, too, something she shows off on the album’s pop-punk tunes. She is sarcastic and witty in songs like “bad idea right?”, the dumb, delirious story of an ill-advised return to an ex. While “bad idea right?” is undeniably catchy, it falls flat lyrically.
A stronger song with the same chaotic fun is “get him back!”. Does Rodrigo want revenge or a rekindled relationship? No one knows, least of all her. “I want sweet revenge, I want him again,” Rodrigo sings, waffling between love and hate.
Another of the album’s upbeat songs, “love is embarrassing”, sometimes feels a little too relatable. Rodrigo sings about obsessing over a dumb guy, or as she puts it, “some weird second-string loser”.
The self-deprecating “ballad of a homeschooled girl” leans into the roughness of rock. It’s an anthem of social anxiety, capturing the stumbling feeling of imperfection that comes with adolescence. With Rodriogo’s songs, feeling foolish has a good enough groove to start feeling fun.
However, Rodrigo also knows how to tackle complex emotions. The dizzyingly tragic “lacy” toes the line between jealousy and admiration. With ethereal vocals over light guitar, Rodrigo sings about a love-hate relationship with a “dazzling starlet”. “I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you,” Rodrigo croons.
“pretty isn’t pretty” is a bitter lament of beauty standards and insecurity. “I could change up my body and change up my face… but I’d always feel the same,” Rodrigo sings. Above the groove of the guitar, Rodrigo seems to accept her fate. It’s not about how you look– it’s about how you feel.
The album’s most powerful theme, growing up, shines in songs like “making the bed” and “teenage dream.” In “making the bed”, Rodrigo sings about the difficult precipice between adolescence and adulthood. The bridge is a cascade of synths as she ultimately claims responsibility for her struggles. “I’m playin’ the victim so well in my head, but it’s me who’s been making the bed,” she sings.
Rodrigo reminisces on her nineteenth birthday for the album’s closer, “teenage dream.” The song starts as a quiet piano ballad, but after the second verse, it builds to a cathartic climax. “They all say that it gets better, it gets better, but what if I don’t?” Rodrigo sings, piano chords dropping like stones beneath an explosion of drums. The question is resolved only by a soft piano note.
With her second album, Olivia Rodrigo captures what it feels like to be a teenager– whether that’s rocking out to your fatal flaws or bitterly remembering an ex, falling in love or becoming more self-aware. “GUTS” is a beautifully complex roller-coaster ride of emotions, just like growing up. 5/5 stars.
