GUTS – Olivia Rodrigo

By: Shem Villacarlos

Our generation knows this American actress and singer all too well! Olivia Rodrigo is back with yet another album, GUTS, that was released on September 8. She teased her fans about this sophomore album with her leading singles vampire followed by bad idea right? She continues to make her own twist on pop-punk and rock with her songs, truly trying to become her own kind of rock star. 

 

She has always made it clear that she loves the rock genre, and we can hear her lean into that sound A LOT more in this album. GUTS  followed or even outdid her last album SOUR. With respect to both albums, this one just shows all the attention to detail by the way she tells her story of her nineteen-year-old self navigating life with intimate lyrics and vocals. With 12 tracks and songs written during the time she was nineteen, you can really feel all of her teenage angst unleashed. Many of us know how complicated being 19 and even living as a teenager can be. She does an incredible job showcasing that classic angst.

 

I honestly did not have too many expectations because of her last album, but one song that definitely blew me out of the water was ballad of a homeschooled girl. I never would have expected a garage rock sound from her in a song that is supposed to be a ballad BUT it completely hooks you on her angst of social anxiety. It has to be one of my favorite tracks from the entire album for her instrumental bits, but I do feel slightly mixed about her wordplay. So I would highly encourage you to listen carefully to her lyrics throughout the album. But, I can see the intent and attention to detail for each track which is a highlight for any artist who creates with meaning.

 

The song making the bed is another ballad that is another take on her career and state of being. It has been one of the few tracks from the album that has had more than 11 million plays on Spotify. Although she is grateful for her fame, she expresses in this song how much her life has changed because of it. She is no longer the teenager she once was and makes it clear that she is a young adult trying to have fun while acting older than she already is because of her profession. She is “makin’ the bed” for the nights she is out with friends trying to have fun whenever she can. One last song I have to talk about is pretty isn’t pretty because I think many young girls and women can relate to the problems of societal norms on feminine appearances. 

 

I do love her take on the rock genre in some of her tracks while being able to balance out some of her more melancholic ballads in the album. She becomes so vulnerable in this album as if she is spilling out her guts and taking a step to really follow what she wants to do in the future as an individual, not just as an artist.  I may not be her biggest fan but I just might start listening to her more often. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store.

 

Rating: 7.5/10

Favorite Tracks: making the bed and bad idea right?