Album Review: 

Rodrigo sang, “I used to think I was smart / But you’ve made me look so naive / The way you sold me for parts / As you sunk your teeth into me, oh” and in the blink of an eye, the hype train began for the album’s release. 

Two months later in August, Rodrigo began to promote her second single from the album that had a significantly different style but received just as much love from the public. 

“Bad Idea Right?”, a song about getting back together with an ex, immediately reminded me of something that belonged in the 90’s classic, “10 Things I Hate About You” with its grungy and fun vibe. I wasn’t much of a fan at first but since its release, I've grown to like it more. 

While “Sour” leans heavily into a pop punk sound and pop influences, such as Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams of Paramore, “GUTS” completely breaks the mold and gravitates towards a more rock-influenced vibe.

Some of the tracks were definitely an acquired taste and took a few listens to completely grow on me. 

Rodrigo opens up her 12 track album with “All-American B—ch,” a satirical song based on the impossible ideals and pressures based on women growing up in America, one of my absolute favorite songs on the album. 

Societal pressures and forced competition among women, similar to Sour’s “Jealousy, Jealousy” seem to inspire many of the tracks on the album.

In “Lacy”, Rodrigo sings about being obsessed with and extremely jealous of a girl named Lacy and her life, while “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” taps into Rodrigo’s anxiety and eagerness to fit in with peers. 

Also following a similar theme, “Pretty Isn’t Pretty” is a more upbeat song about how impossible beauty standards can tarnish someone’s self-worth, one that I felt anyone, not just teen girls could relate to. 

The closing track, “Teenage Dream” is a brutally honest song about the fears that come with growing up and maturing, and leaves the audience with a bittersweet but melancholic feeling as it closes. 

Growing up is a really common fear among people and it’s something that I worry about as the years go by so I found it very relatable.

Some other common themes across the album are betrayal and love.

“Logical” and “Love is Embarrassing” both deal with the issue of unraveling relationships and love not being exactly what it’s cracked out to be.

In “Logical” Rodrigo belts, “‘Cause if rain don’t pour and sun don’t shine / Then changing you is possible / No, love is never logical”.

Another standout track that followed a similar theme was “The Grudge '', a harrowing piano ballad written by Rodrigo after being manipulated and played by someone you loved.

Most songs on the album were very upbeat or had a very boisterous instrumental so this song provided a necessary contrast, and reminded me a lot of something that would belong on “Sour”.

While listening to the album, two songs immediately struck me as very memorable and became my favorites, despite how different they were.

Track 6, “Making the Bed” is based upon the popular saying, “you’ve made your bed, now lie in it.” The song tackles the feeling one can have of unhappiness in your life but also knowing that you did it to yourself.

I found that I would listen to this song over and over. The song’s message is a complicated one to convey but an incredibly realistic one. It’s difficult to recognize when you can’t play the victim in a situation and I applaud her for her attempt to approach the topic.

My other favorite was found in track 8, “Get Him Back!”, and I loved how the title meant two different things. Olivia sings about wanting to get her ex boyfriend to pay for what he did (get him back as revenge) and get back together with him.

 I had a lot of fun listening to this track because it can mean a different thing for two different groups of people, those who miss their ex, or those who dislike them, which was really clever.

Overall, I loved this album but I can recognize it might not be for everyone. If you don’t love a pop rock vibe, I wouldn’t recommend some of the tracks she included.

If you love grunge, sad, or fun music, I guarantee you’ll find something you like in Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS”.

One thing is for sure, this pop star has absolutely avoided the infamous sophomore slump!