After two long years, Olivia Rodrigo has released a new album, and it surpasses all expectations. Contrary to popular theories, it is not called Sweet. The new album, entitled Guts, has become a swift hit among teenagers and young adults. Guts has 12 tracks on its regular album and four new songs on the deluxe version yet to be released as of press time. Although these tracks vary in sound, they are all in the same genre: pop punk, coming-of-age. Olivia, now 20 years old, has experienced fast fame and has very quickly learned the upsides and downsides of this. Many of Rodrigo’s new works are rumored to be written about her relationship with her significantly older ex, Zach Bia; others are a general and heartfelt commentary on growing up under a spotlight, existing as a woman in today’s society, and trying to figure out what one truly wants. Every song on Guts has a specific audience, and, yet, the album is loved by many. No matter what song is played, fans can be assured it is a great one.
“Olivia’s new album Guts is undoubtedly her best song and lyrics in an album to date, and I enjoyed listening to it. Olivia’s songwriting in this album is brilliant, and she creates such a great story throughout her music. One of my favorite songs in the album would be ‘Logical’ because in this song particularly I feel like she outshines her vocal performance. I would check the song out and stream the album as a whole!” said sophomore Nick Sferrazza.
The tracklist flows as well as the songs: “All American B*tch”, “Bad Idea, Right?”, “Vampire”, “Lacy”, “Ballad of a Homeschool Girl”, “Making the Bed”, “Logical”, “Get Him Back!”, “Love Is Embarrassing”, “The Grudge”, “Pretty Isn’t Pretty”, and “Teenage Dream.” Each song brings an entirely different element to the table. However, once all are listened to, they come together as if they are all one beautiful song. The musical motifs referencing both previous songs on Guts and Rodrigo’s debut album Sour allow long-time fans to recall old songs and appreciate the music. The production of the songs is fresh and new, and it makes the listening experience all the better. Like Sour, every song on Guts has a deeper meaning.
As a young and fairly new pop star, Rodrigo’s music has greatly changed from her Sour era. In her debut album, a majority of the songs were related to her previous relationships and what it takes to move on from them. Rodrigo, in short, was in a very sad place writing that album. While she was doing well, the album did not show every side of her. Guts, however, was written primarily while she was in a much better emotional place. Because of this, there is a much more fun side of Rodrigo shining through. Songs like “Get Him Back!” and “Love Is Embarrassing” showcase this extremely well. They are danceable, poppy, and fun songs that listeners can dance around or sing along to. However, Rodrigo also wrote her more emotional songs extremely well on the album. Many’s favorites are “Lacy,” “Logical,” and “The Grudge,” which are emotionally driven ballads about not being enough compared to another girl, trying desperately to make a dying relationship work, and trying to move on from someone who harshly wronged you in the past, respectively. For many, these songs hit hard and help them to connect more to the album. “I love how we’re seeing a more [revengeful] side of Olivia, [especially in contrast with her] album Sour, [where] there were [a lot of] sad songs,” said junior Angelina Patino. When artists can write both fun and sad songs incredibly well, they are likely to have a long and fun future ahead of them.
“What I love most about Guts as an album is how it serves as a symbol of Olivia’s maturity, both as a person and vocally. Whereas Sour pulled at the heartstrings in nearly every single song, Guts embodies the angst and rollercoasters of other emotions that many girls can relate to,” said junior Gianna Longo. “As mentioned, Guts showcases the growth of Rodrigo’s vocal talent as well. She’s learning how to use different tones depending on the vibe of the song, and it allows the meaning of the lyrics to resonate more with the listener to her voice,” Longo added. Longo cannot wait to hear the live recordings of Rodrigo singing her new songs on Guts for this reason. “My two favorite songs on the album are currently ‘Lacy’ and ‘Logical,’ but what I love about Rodrigo’s music is that my favorite song of hers always changes; her discography is so diverse that I can find a song that connects to exactly what I’m feeling at any moment,” said Longo.
