Spilling my "GUTS" on Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album

Pop superstar, Olivia Rodrigo has officially released her sophomore album, “GUTS”. Some might know Rodrigo from her role in Disney Channel’s “Bizaardvark” or “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” However, after the overnight success of her 2021 hit “drivers license,” Rodrigo had quickly engraved her name as one of the main pop acts in the music industry. “Drivers license” was only Rodrigo's first solo song under a label, and it holds the record for most streamed song in a single week. The hit spent eight weeks at the number 1 spot on the billboard charts. By the time her Grammy awarded debut album, “SOUR”, was ready to release in May of 2021, Rodrigo had already broken multiple records. All eleven songs on the record charted in the Billboard Hot 100. Rodrigo's “SOUR” received 63.3 million streams on its opening day and went along to become the longest charting debut album ever.

While I do have some reservations with “SOUR”, I thought it was an incredibly strong debut album from an artist who some thought would be a one hit wonder. This record showcased Rodrigo’s personal and poetic songwriting, as well as her beautiful voice. While all the songs were well composed, Rodrigo seemed to write about the same relationship in 10/11 songs. She has proven that she can write a sad breakup ballad; I wanted to see Rodrigo push her songwriting beyond that in her next LP. Usually with artists in the industry, your second album shows if your first album wasn’t a fluke. So the questions raised are…is Olivia Rodrigo here to stay? Is "GUTS” worth your time? “SOUR” or “GUTS”? Let me tell you.

Track one, “all-american b****”, certainly has an attention grabbing title. This pop/rock banger introduces the sound and themes of the album flawlessly. The name of the song is inspired by the novel, "The White Album" written by Joan Didon. Didon was known for calling out unfair social standards. Olivia reflects this with the writing on this track. She express her frustration with the pressing feeling of being the perfect “all american woman.” In the closing refrain of the song, Olivia softly sings, “All the time, I'm grateful all the time, I'm sexy, and I'm kind, I'm pretty when I cry.” "GUTS" gets right down to business immediately with “all-american b****”,  making it a great opener.

Diving into the second half of the record we have “logical” which is a pretty formulaic ballad about being in a toxic relationship. The feeling of constantly being gaslighted is not a pleasant one. Olivia’s display of emotion on this track is vulnerable and raw. It’s not a bad track by any means, however, I do think Olivia has released stronger ballads. Thematically and sonically, this track reminds me of something that could have been on her debut, “SOUR.” 

We jump right back into the pop/rock genre with the song “get him back!”; which is an instantly catchy and fun tune with its heavy grudge guitars and big bass guitars. Fans believe this song is about DJ, Zack Bia, who Rodrigo has a slight fling with in 2022. The song title acts as a double meaning, “get him back” meaning gaining back his love and affection or “get him back!” with vengeance because he treated you so horribly. Rodrigo definitely channels her inner Avril Lavine as the chorus holds a very shouty and “sing-along” aspect to it. It is possible the most catchy song on the entire record. I think there is no reason for anyone to dislike this track. 

As we reach the final stretch of this so far very impressive sophomore album, Olivia again proves what a talented songwriter she is on track 10, “the grudge.” Fans speculate that this song could have been about a possible fallout with Olivia’s life-long idol, Taylor Swift. Back when Olivia released her debut album “SOUR” in May of 2021, she featured a song almost using the exact same chords as Taylor Swift’s “reputation” song, “New Year’s Day.” Olivia rightfully credited Taylor Swift and her collaborator, Jack Antonoff. Then fans started pointing out the similarities between Olivia’s song “Deja Vu” and Taylor’s song “Cruel Summer.” Taylor and Jack quietly received writing credits for “Deja Vu '' after a rumored lawsuit, even though they were nowhere near the production of the song. In an interview with “Time” magazine in 2021 after Olivia was named entertainer of the year, she said, “It was really frustrating to see people discredit and deny my creativity." Ever since then, Olivia has not mentioned Taylor’s name after years of praising her. She never attended Taylor Swift’s incredibly successful Era’s Tour which North American leg occurred over the summer. However, there are still many dates left in which Olivia can attend. Who actually knows what occurred between the popstars; however, I think it’s safe to say something fishy went down. Regardless of whether or not there is beef, there is no doubt that Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo continue to be two of the best pop artists in the world and I will continue to support both. Now, back to “GUTS”, “the grudge” is yet another highlight. Olivia’s vocals are yeti again top notch. My favorite line in the whole album comes in this song, when Olivia sings, “And we both drew blood, but those cuts were never equal”. The pen game is strong to say the least.

Now, the pressing question, “GUTS” or “SOUR”? The truth is both are incredibly composed and strong pop records. Even though it has only been released for two weeks, I think I can see “GUTS” being the better and more mature version of “SOUR.” She has improved and pushed her songwriting and sound on this record. So given this, I think “GUTS” is 100% worth your time. I believe that listeners of any kind of music can find something they love in this record. Even though I might not be the target audience, anyone can hear the emotion and effort Olivia put into this record. Olivia certainly deserves the hype and has made something very special. “GUTS” is definitely not a sophomore slump. I can’t wait to see where Olivia Rodrigo goes next!