Olivia Rodrigo is back and better than ever with her recent release, GUTS. Her sophomore album has already attracted thousands of listeners on various platforms from Spotify to TikTok. In GUTS, Rodrigo takes women’s battles with society or a breakup, and transforms them into catchy tunes listeners will play on repeat.
A promotional single for the album, “bad idea right?” gained mass intrigue on social media platforms, most notably TikTok. This spunky song outlines Rodrigo’s inner monologue as she contemplates whether or not she should drive to her ex-boyfriend’s house, lying to herself and her friends in the process. The song captures a teenager’s failure to think rationally and the resulting embarrassing ramifications of impulsivity. I enjoyed how the song felt conversational, like Rodrigo was chatting with her audience on a phone call.
A complete switch from “bad idea right?,” “vampire” is a gut-wrenching power ballad representing Rodrigo’s more resentful side. In “vampire,” Rodrigo highlights her toxic relationship with her ex-boyfriend and compares him to the titular mythical creature. Her lyrics read, “[he] only come[s] out at night” and “bleed[s] [her] dry like a goddamn vampire.” The song builds from slow and moody to uptempo and angry. Rodrigo accompanies these lyrics with a beautiful combination of smooth piano and her melodic voice.
The first song on the album, “all-american b****,” outlines how contradictory and impossible society’s standards for women are. Rodrigo sings, “I am as light a feather and as stiff as a board,” calling out the ridiculousness of these standards. The song portrays society’s hypocrisy by switching between two very different tones. In the middle of the song, after screaming for around six seconds, Rodrigo suddenly begins to sing gently.
I truly enjoyed listening to GUTS because Rodrigo expresses universal experiences through the lens of her own, authentic take. Overall, GUTS Rodrigo is a more mature, angry version of her younger, sadder SOUR self. All of these songs contrast each other in beautiful, wonderful ways. I highly recommend listening to GUTS, but once you find yourself incessantly humming one of her songs, don’t blame me.
