On September 8, 2023, singer and songwriter Olivia Rodrigo released her sophomore album, “GUTS.” Rodrigo revealed on People Magazine that she felt pressure making this album, wondering if it would be “good enough” after the success of her debut album, “SOUR.” Rodrigo stunned many with her deeply emotional and vulnerable songs, especially her single, “drivers license.”
However, her new album did not disappoint. Her first single from the album, “vampire,” was released at the beginning of the summer, and many were impressed with its relatibility. Her lyrics normally appeal to adolescents and young adults, which make up the majority of her fanbase. Her next released single from “GUTS” was “bad idea right?” This song is a tongue-in-cheek way of addressing the conflicting feelings that one faces after becoming friends with an ex-partner after a break-up. She stated that she “only see[s] him as a friend,” and then later goes on to say that it is the “biggest lie [she’s] ever said.” This song is much more upbeat than “vampire,” so there is a nice juxtaposition between the two.
A few weeks later, she released the largely anticipated full album. To be honest, when I first took a listen, I did not love most of the songs. I thought that the best one on the album was by far “vampire,” because I loved the use of a piano in the song and its thoughtful lyrics.
However, as I dissected the album further, I realized that most of the songs had a really impactful message behind them. For instance, “pretty isn’t pretty” is about the struggles that Rodrigo faced when trying to improve upon her physical and emotional appearance. For instance, she bought makeup, started to skip lunch, and got medication to help her anxiety. Even after she took all of these measures to ‘improve herself,’ she felt that there was “always somethin’ missin'” and “there’s always somethin’ in the mirror that [she] think[s] looks wrong.” These lyrics are extremely relatable to me, and many other teenage girls, and one of my favorite things about Rodrigo’s lyrics is that it perfectly sums up the entire teenage experience in only three to four minutes.
Another one of my favorite tracks from “GUTS” is “teenage dream.” This song nonspecifically enraptured the stress factors and hardships that teenagers face. During the bridge of the song, she merely repeats, “They all say that it gets better the more you grow,… but what if I don’t?” Something that I love about this song is that it does not talk about one specific struggle, so any of her teenage listeners can relate to her lyrics.
Overall, I would rate this album an 8.5/10. I think that there are a lot of great lyrics and instrumental moments, but some of her songs can improve. I also think her future albums should be more responsive to all ages, and not just teenagers, considering not all of her listeners are young adults.
