Over the past few years, Olivia Rodrigo has quickly risen to the top as one of the most compelling pop artists in the industry with a talent for writing songs that resonate with teenagers. Two years after her massively successful debut album Sour, Olivia Rodrigo released her newest album Guts on September 8th. Fans and critics alike waited to see if Rodrigo would beat the notorious “sophomore slump” — a phenomenon where a musical artist’s second album fails to live up to the standards set by their first album.
It’s safe to say that Rodrigo has not only come out triumphant over the “sophomore slump,” but has exceeded expectations with Guts. The album charted all 12 of its songs in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and shot straight to number 1 on the UK albums chart. Guts received an impressive 8/10 rating from Pitchfork and was hailed by Rolling Stone as an “instant classic.”
“I liked that they were really honest and I liked that they were angry. I always support a woman with anger.” — Senior Averie Nelson on her favorite songs
Rodrigo took the qualities from Sour that made her stand out and magnified them with this new album, leaning further into her pop-rock side. Senior Avery Nelson shares that “All-American B-tch” and “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” are her favorite songs off of Guts. “I liked that they were really honest and I liked that they were angry. I always support a woman with anger.” Rodrigo has certainly cemented her place in the “female rage” movement with Guts. After all, she opened the album with an almost 15-second scream in “All-American B-tch,” which was surely felt by women around the world.
Guts’ second single “Bad Idea Right?” features Rodrigo debating whether to go see her ex, who she is most definitely not, over in a 90s-inspired music video. Senior Avery Nelson particularly enjoyed one lyric from the album, which is from “Bad Idea Right?”: “And I’m sure I’ve seen much hotter men, but I really can’t remember when.” It’s Rodrigo’s ability to communicate her emotions with humorous, relatable lyrics that have made Guts so successful.
But Rodrigo can also be very serious in heartfelt
tracks like “Pretty Isn’t Pretty.” She is admirably vulnerable when singing about insecurity over her appearance. She doesn’t hold back when penning lyrics about skipping lunch and giving up eating cake on birthdays, which unfortunately is relatable to plenty of young women. Rodrigo also bravely calls out the unrealistic standards that are shoved upon women everywhere they look, from social media to magazines.
One song on Guts has been subject to debate. Some listeners are speculating that “The Grudge” could be about an alleged feud between Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift. Rumors started when both artists seemed to suddenly stop talking about each other despite the mutual affection they had shared for each other. Many theorize a rift occurred when Olivia Rodrigo had to give songwriting credits to Taylor Swift for the song “Deja Vu,” despite the accused similarity between Rodrigo’s hit song and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” being very debatable. Rodrigo revealed to Rolling Stone that she “was a little caught off guard” by having to give up 50% of royalties to other artists and said she would never demand credit from a young artist. For now, it’s all rumors but lyrics like “You built me up to watch me fall/ You have everything and you still want more” have only added to the frenzy.
Rodrigo has been called the voice of a generation. In Sour, she commented with frustration on the teenage dream, and on Guts, she closes the album with a song called “Teenage Dream.” She writes “I’m sorry I couldn’t always be your teenage dream,” and ponders if she’ll “spend all the rest of my years wishing I could go back?” While Sour is known for being relatable to teenagehood, Guts captures the struggles of growing up and transitioning to adulthood. When asked about how Guts compares to Rodrigo’s debut album, Nelson remarks “I liked that the style was different than the other one. I liked that it was really reflective of how she feels right now and it was more mature.”
Rodrigo’s album titles, given that neither has a title track, can truly only make sense after giving the record a few listens. It’s obvious why Rodrigo chose to call this album Guts. She spilled her guts in several vulnerable songs. She forged this album with candid courage and gave fans songs to cry over, dance to, and scream at the top of their lungs. With her stellar vocals and witty, poignant lyrics, it’s no wonder she’s on top. Olivia Rodrigo is a star because she has guts.
