"GUTS" - Olivia Rodrigo Album Review

“GUTS” Olivia Rodrigo Album Review

Two years after her break out debut album “SOUR,” Olivia Rodrigo has broken back into the music scene with her sophomore album “GUTS.”

This new album has attributes similar to what fans know and love about “SOUR,” but still offers its own style.

Immediately upon looking at the album cover it is clear she has the same vibe as “SOUR.” With a purple background and a pop of purple in her wardrobe, she keeps things similar but breaks up the similarity by rocking a red lip this time around.

The main themes of this album revolve around how hard it is to be a woman in society and, of course, the difficulty and impossibleness of dating. All of this being expressed in a new punk pop style.

Starting out with a newer sound in “all-american b*tch,” this song is more angsty than anything from Rodrigo. Even with her angst, Rodrigo delivers a message of girl power. If she had a song in the “Barbie” movie, this would have been it.

At first listen, the song sounds like an old school Avril Lavigne song with better lyrics.

Other songs that fit into this style on the album are “ballad of a homeschool girl,” “get him back!” and “love is embarrassing.” These are the more upbeat songs of the album.

“get him back!” features a drumstick click in and then goes straight into an iconic revenge song. This banger is comparable to “Better Than Revenge” by Taylor Swift. The best line in this song is in the bridge where Rodrigo says, “I wanna meet his mom / Just to tell her her son sucks.”

“ballad of a homeschool girl” is a more upbeat song, but thematically goes well with slower songs like “pretty isn't pretty,” which is this album's version of “jealousy jealousy” from “SOUR,” and “teenage dream.” These two songs are slower and focus on how discouraging it can be to be a woman.

“teenage dream” is the last song on the album and provides a message similar to those off “SOUR.” In the opening song on “SOUR,” “brutal,” she asks “where’s my f***ing teenage dream?” Rodrigo has gone above and beyond answering her own question and explaining the despair of being a teenage girl.

The most heart wrenching and relatable songs on this album are “making the bed,” “logical” and most notably “the grudge.” These songs masterfully breakdown heartbreak, feelings of not belonging and gaslighting.

“logical” is a beautiful song played mostly on piano where Rodrigo’s vocals have a chance to shine compared to some of the other songs that are more upbeat. This song is definitely a contender for best bridge on the album.

The album has a good mix of upbeat and slow songs so Rodrigo’s voice is shown in many different capacities. There is nothing particularly bad about this album which makes it clear that most people will have different rankings of these tracks.

Overall each song fits perfectly onto the album. The themes Rodrigo focuses on mesh together well and most definitely are her own.

Following such a successful break out album, the release of “GUTS” was highly anticipated, followed with high expectations. Rodrigo landed right where she needed to. She did not blow “SOUR” out of the water, but released an album that could potentially be as successful if not more than her previous album.

Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “making the bed,” “logical” and “the grudge”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “teenage dream,” “lacy,” and “all-american b*tch”

Rating: 8/10

Savannah Swartz is a third-year communications major. To contacter her, email sms9072@psu.edu.