To follow her debut project, SOUR, Olivia Rodrigo recently dropped her new, top-grossing sophomore album. Released on Sep. 8, the album, titled GUTS, displays a new side of Rodrigo – one that has never quite been in the spotlight before.
Although SOUR has a few tracks that are loud and emotionally charged, Rodrigo leans more heavily into a spikier, pop punk-rock style in her new content. In addition, SOUR mainly focuses on heartbreak, while GUTS contains multiple life lessons; 12 new songs convey themes of betrayal, regret, self-deprecation, and the loneliness that fame often brings.
“There are important messages lining the verses of the rambling, diary-esque revelations of GUTS that are vital to someone, somewhere, while remaining fun enough to come back to,” Modern Music Analysis owner Josh Herring said in an album review of his own.
Rodrigo’s lyrics are vulnerable in a way that cuts deep, appealing to the common teenage experience and drawing listeners in. For example, her indignant “all-american b—” captures the fed-up rage that comes with being subjected to the standards placed upon young women in society.
“The bridge of the song is literally just me screaming bloody murder,” Rodrigo said in an interview with Spotify. “I hope that, when I play it live, everyone will just let all their inner demons out and just scream and yell and cry in that part. That’s my greatest hope.”
Next, “pretty isn’t pretty” describes the common struggle with low self-esteem, made uniquely difficult by the constant public observation and judgment that come with fame. Rodrigo expands on the pressures of public attention in “teenage dream”, lamenting and even apologizing for the fact that she can no longer fit into the box of the fun-having, emotional American teenager that her audience has put her in.
“Teenage Dream… was all about sort of the pressure that I felt making a sophomore album and the sadness that is growing up and no longer being a teenage girl,” Rodrigo said later in the same interview, explaining how she feels that she’s growing up and out of her previous branding.
Since it’s not an Olivia Rodrigo album without at least one song about a romance gone wrong, many other songs in GUTS express the struggles of dealing with a manipulative relationship. “the grudge” and “logical” address this topic through genius lyrics and heartbroken angst that has many listeners nodding along in solemn agreement.
“I think maybe fans will relate the most to ‘logical’,” Rodrigo said. “Whenever I play that song for my friends, they’re always like ‘Oh my gosh! I know exactly the situation. I’ve dated that guy – I’ve dated that girl.’”
This album showcases Rodrigo’s emotions in a proud, unashamed way that each listener can learn from. The bold transparency laced into every lyric prompts her audience to be more comfortable with feeling their own emotions just as deeply.
“Part of her appeal is that she gives you permission to feel everything and not to have to dilute anything, which is very necessary,” music writer Rhian Daly said in an interview with BBC Culture, referencing the healthy practice of expressing emotions instead of repressing them.
Rodrigo’s second album has been eagerly anticipated since the release of SOUR, and it’s safe to say that GUTS does not disappoint. Fans are not only appreciating the new style and enjoying the music, but are also able to relate to and derive life lessons from Rodrigo’s heartfelt lyrics.
“guts is the most teenage-no one gets me album and i love it,” user @fieldgoose said in a TikTok video.
