From sad girl to angry punk-rocker, Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album “GUTS” explores the journey from girlhood to adulthood through angsty lyrics and hard-hitting instrumentals.
The album, released Sept. 8, was highly anticipated following the singer’s debut success, “SOUR.” Following the album’s concert tour, Rodrigo stepped back from the mainstream spotlight, building anticipation and leaving fans longing for new music from the young artist. On June 30, over two years after releasing “SOUR,” Rodrigo dropped a new single, “vampire.”
Far from the heartbroken 17-year-old girl she was when she released “drivers license,” “vampire” showcases Rodrigo’s matured vocals, impressive range and show-stopping lyrical abilities. Rodrigo, after facing scrutiny from the public over alleged controversies involving celebrities Joshua Bassett, Sabrina Carpenter, Paramore and Taylor Swift, expands on the same question she asked in her song “brutal”: “Who am I if not exploited?”
“GUTS” opens with “all-american bitch,” a sardonic punk-rock song reminiscent of Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette and Babes in Toyland. Rodrigo laments the standards that women are held to with punchy and sarcastic lyrics: “I got class and integrity just like a goddamn Kennedy, I swear.” The singer is exasperated with impossible standards for women to be intelligent and kind, yet subservient and almost robotic. Following Rodrigo’s screaming because of the standards she has to live up to, the song abruptly cuts to a delicate, melodic and repetitive outro: “I’m grateful all the fucking time / I’m sexy and I’m kind / I’m pretty when I cry.” Listeners can imagine Rodrigo standing in front of her mirror, on the verge of a breakdown, attempting to hold herself together by presenting this carefully curated image.
In “bad idea right?,” “ballad of a homeschooled girl” and “love is embarrassing,” Rodrigo explores the trials and pitfalls of being a teenage girl, poking fun at herself with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and honest confessions: “I’m planning out my wedding with some guy I’m never marrying.” Rodrigo doesn’t hold back, laying everything out on the table in intimate and playful anecdotes that make the listener feel like she is recounting her stories directly to them. In “get him back!” Rodrigo jumps back and forth between hating and loving a past fling, conflicted between wanting to exact revenge on him and missing their relationship. In the bridge, she jokes, “I wanna kiss his face / with an uppercut / I wanna meet his mom / just to tell her her son sucks.” The pop-hit, sure to be a showstopper at her upcoming “GUTS world tour,” ends with a series of adlibs, showing that Rodrigo is trying to keep the situation light and not take herself too seriously.
While “GUTS” certainly featured more upbeat songs than “SOUR,” Rodrigo hasn’t forgone the sad-girl ballads that shot her to A-list fame. “making the bed,” “logical” and “the grudge” are all standout tracks from the album, and the plaintive and poignant lyrics remind listeners that Rodrigo is a powerhouse of a lyricist as well as a vocalist. She dives into themes of betrayal, jealousy and regret in more depth than “SOUR,” showcasing bitter vulnerability in her lyrics.
Contrasting the brash, rebellious punk-rocker sound of her opening track, Rodrigo closes her album with the soft piano ballad “teenage dream.” In the opening lines of her debut album, Rodrigo laments her youth and naivete: “I’m so sick of 17 / where’s my fucking teenage dream?” She answers this question by apologizing to her younger self and wondering if she hit the peak of her career with the success of “SOUR”: “I fear that they already got all the best parts of me / and I’m sorry that I couldn’t always be your teenage dream.” This lyric is also seemingly a callback to the unrealistic standards she sings about in “all-american bitch,” but this time, Rodrigo feels guilt over her imperfections. She mourns the loss of her adolescence as she transitions into adulthood, asking, “Will I spend all the rest of my years wishing I could go back?” and “They all say that it gets better, but what if I don’t?”
With “GUTS” debuting at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart, the 20-year-old proved to skeptics that she has what it takes to be the music industry’s next big star. She recently announced dates for her “GUTS” world tour, opening Feb. 23 and coming to Boston April 1 and 2, leaving fans eager for what’s to come. Rodrigo has once again spoken straight to the souls of teenagers across the world with “GUTS,” and certainly has a bright career ahead of her.
