Courtesy of YouTube

Olivia Rodrigo is finally back after taking a two-year hiatus since releasing her debut studio album titled “SOUR.” Multiple people dubbed her an industry plant when she first blew up after getting her career birth by performing in Disney shows like “Bizaardvark” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” but she’s proving those mistaken by winning numerous Grammys, shattering Spotify records, and maintaining a number one album on the Billboard Hot 200. Now with her brand-new sophomore studio album “GUTS,” she followed up bigger than before. 

Before the album was released, Rodrigo dropped two singles “vampire” and “bad idea right?” Both tracks commercially crushed and solidified herself as a modern pop superstar. “vampire” is the better song of the two, in my opinion. Bringing me back the same vibes I received when I first heard “driver’s license” back in 2021. The analogy of her partner being a life-sucking vampire that only brings her misery is an intriguing way to display heartbreak and disloyalty.  

“bad idea right?” gave me the contrasting feeling of the project. I despise how she doesn’t even sing much on this track, mainly just talking over this really interesting beat. I could care less about her lying to friends about visiting an ex, it adds nothing to the grand scheme of things. This is a song that should have been left out of the album, let alone be a lead single.  

The album starts strong with the initial slow but then becomes a powerful rock track titled “all-american bitch.” She goes into the unrealistic standards set by men in America towards women which she doesn’t fit into. “teenage dream” does a similar thing where the beat changes from slow to aggressive and I find those to be some of the most interesting parts on “GUTS.”  

I heavily enjoy the tracks on this album that discussed deeper topics that women face when dealing with men and insecurity. “pretty isn’t pretty” is another great example as she talks about following beauty standards yet still feeling miserable within herself over a catchy alternative beat. I give Rodrigo credit for being able to express herself very openly and honestly about some of her poor experiences with romance and pain, especially so early in her professional musical career. 

I feel the need to make a separate paragraph about the track “lacy,” which is a slower ballad that has minor climaxes where it picks up but enough to change the whole song. Rodrigo talks about a woman named Lacy in great praise and how she’s allured by her yet jealous over how perfect she is. Rumor has it that the song could be about Sabrina Carpenter and the insecurity that Rodrigo feels knowing that her ex-boyfriend Joshua Bassett broke up with her to be with Carpenter romantically. The lyric “Dazzling scarlet, Bardot reincarnate” could be a comparison between Carpenter and Brigitte Bardot, who is recognized as one of the most beautiful women of all time. The openness and metaphorical context that Rodrigo uses to display signs of envy and obsession make it one of my favorite songs that she’s written in her short discography.  

My main issue with this project is how it has moments where it feels like I’m relistening to something she’s made in the past. I do not hear as much musical change as I see her grow as a person. There are plenty of songs on the album that sound like they were cut from a 2005 Avril Lavigne or 2019 Taylor Swift project. I understand that she has a gimmick that works with the whole resurgence of pop-punk that she helped spark, but it would be nice to see some experimentation with different styles of rock or even a different genre.  

I also find many of the songs to have a common perception of romance through the eyes of a middle school girl and can sound not only immature but just downright annoying at times. Songs like “get him back” and “making the bed” are tracks that I feel do not add much value to the project that other songs might, they would have been better off as loose singles. While these offenses aren’t major enough to deem the album as garbage, it is something I have to mention. 

Overall, I am fairly satisfied with her second album. It is good to see that Rodrigo is showing the world that she is here to stay, and not just a Disney Channel actress who happened to get lucky with a successful debut through corporate funding. She is making her mark in contemporary pop music, and doing well at it. It would be great to see Rodrigo experiment more with using different forms of punk and alternative rock to her advantage, but I can’t say that she isn’t killing it with the plan she already has.