Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album “Guts” really packed a punch. Following in the footsteps of her hit debut album “Sour,” Rodrigo had big shoes to fill.
Being a fan of hers ever since her days on Disney Channel, I have always been excited for anything new that she puts out. But “Guts” has been one of her most anticipated projects on my half. Because of that Olivia has grown out of her youthfulness.
“Guts” debuted on the Billboards 200, as number one and all 12 tracks made the top 40 on the Billboards Hot 100.
She released her first single of the album titled, “vampire” on June 30. This song set high my expectations for the rest of the album. On August 10 she released her second single “bad idea right?” and I was not 100% set on how the rest of the album would play out.
The differences between the two singles are astronomical. “vampire” has a much darker tone and slowly transitions to a sinister ending. While “bad idea right?” is insanely more upbeat, it has a humorous factor that many teens can relate to, with lyrics like:
“And I know we’re done, I know we’re through, But, God, when I look at you, My brain goes, “Ah.” This lyric resonates with me as it mimics personal experiences and many others have said they do as well.
A negative for this album is that many of these songs seem that they could be interchangeable with her first album. They similarly exhibit the same tone or musicality.
As I continue to listen to these songs, I cannot stop thinking about the fact that I need to know who inspired these songs to be written.
The way that Rodrigo adds emotion into her singing the way that she sings is astonishing. You can almost hear the distress in her tone. The album clearly tells a story of a heartbroken girl who was ripped to pieces by a boy who she was so hardly held tight to.
The album is obviously a revenge album, which makes me like it even more. I can only picture myself screaming on the top of my lungs to each and every track. I seriously do not think any track on this album misses any beat.
It’s no denying that this album was written for any individual fighting with the struggles of heartbreak, no matter what that heartbreak is.
Rodrigo’s voice adds levels of juvenile similarity, but her words are what drive so much connection to her average listener. In some ways, I feel I have almost grown up with Rodrigo. Seeing her on my screen growing and changing, I hear about her in the news only going through the same things I am. The mere four-year age difference doesn’t seem big at all.
Some of my favorite tracks on the album include: “lacy” and “teenage dream.”
“lacy” tells the story of a girl “Lacy” and how the author compares herself to some picture-perfect girl and how Lacy impacts her as an individual. With lyrics like “Lacy, oh Lacy, skin like puff pastry,” “Smart, sexy Lacy,” and “Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate, Well, aren’t you the greatest thing to ever exist?” Throughout the song, she continues about how she loathes Lacy at the end.
The perfect song that speaks the words of anyone who envies the “perfectness” of someone else.
“teenage dream” describes an exact feeling of being used throughout your teenage years. That your teenage years were wasted on someone or something that didn’t deserve your time. With lyrics such as, “But I fear that they already got all the best parts of me,” and “When am I gonna stop being great for my age and just start being good?” the song encapsulates my complete feelings towards my teenage years too, which is why many teenagers relate greatly to Olivia’s album
Two other of my favorites were “all-american bitch” and “pretty isn’t pretty.” These songs just seem to speak to many people on a personal levels which would be why I included them on my favorites of the tracks. These songs describe the underlying tone of female misogyny as well as add to the idea that females are not favored in society.
“Guts” by Olivia Rodrigo hits on every track. Her connection to her lyrics attracts her listeners to feel the same emotions she did. The easy connections that can be made make the album all that much more indulging.
I give “Guts” four out of five stars. Only for the fact that Olivia hurts me each time I listen to her work.
