After Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album, “Sour,” became a classic in record time — with help from TikTok — expectations for her next release were impossibly high. Listening to Rodrigo’s newest album, “Guts,” which was released Sept. 8, it’s clear this anticipation has not made things easy for the pop-meets-rock superstar and former actress.
Exploring the constant pressure Rodrigo faces from the entertainment industry, breakups and bad self-image while bringing ‘90s-inspired girl-rock anthems and piano ballads back into the spotlight, “Guts” can’t forget and doesn’t want to forgive.
The album begins boldly with “all-american bitch,” a tumultuous track named after a line from Joan Didion’s “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” according to an article from Insider. Rodrigo mocks unrealistic expectations for young American women. She sings “I’m light as a feather / I’m stiff as a board,” over a gentle guitar rhythm and then breaks into an intense, spiteful chorus, making her sarcasm evident. The singer lets out a lengthy scream near the end of the song, which could have been a satisfying release of pent-up anger, but comes across restrained and inauthentic.
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Rodrigo released two “Guts” tracks — “bad idea right?” and “vampire” — over the summer. With over 360 million Spotify streams and counting, “vampire” debuted at the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in July. While it starts off slow, the album’s lead single is flawlessly paced, stealthily gaining vocal and instrumental momentum. Some of its lyrics are cliche — “As you sunk your teeth into me / Bloodsucker” — but Rodrigo’s use of a vampire as a metaphor for her parasitic ex boyfriend.
“bad idea right?” is a welcome reintroduction to the unapologetic attitude of “Guts.” Rodrigo’s hookup with her ex is shameless, hence the title, “Seein’ you tonight / It’s a bad idea right?” The song is a relief from the album’s heavier tracks — it’s a reminder to let loose a little. Rodrigo cries out, “Oh, yes, I know that he’s my ex, but can’t two people reconnect?” accompanied by grungy guitar. Life is messy and confusing, especially when it comes to relationships.
Rodrigo again draws attention to toxic beauty standards on “lacy.” Getting vulnerable about her insecurities, the singer complies the physical traits of women she compares herself to onto one character: “Lacy.” The images Rodrigo paints of “skin like puff pastry,” and “Bardot reincarnate,” are compelling, and her representation of the desire for certain physical traits as a romantic obsession is a refreshing take on an overdone topic. Still, Rodrigo’s reliance on criticizing beauty standards to add depth to her music is starting to make some of her songs feel redundant.
Self-doubt was one of the major themes of Rodrigo’s first album, and the same is true for “Guts.” “ballad of a homeschooled girl” reveals the singer’s struggle with the — untrue — stereotype that homeschooling stunts social development. The line “Everythin’ I do is tragic / Every guy I like is gay” is likely a shady reference to her brief relationship with “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” co-star Joshua Bassett, who came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in 2021 after the couple split in 2020.
Rodrigo’s complaints about the trials of love and friendship are valid, but they come off a little whiny in “logical.” She reflects on this flaw in “making the bed” when she sings, “And I’m playin’ the victim so well in my head / But it’s me who’s been making the bed,” recognizing how easy it is to blame others for the consequences of our own actions. With dreamy instrumentals, “making the bed” is an intermission from the album’s grittier hits and this variety in style, making “Guts” feel whole.
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After some reflection, Rodrigo comes back stronger than ever, on “get him back!” and “love is embarrassing.” On both tracks, she demands herself to get over past lovers, but doesn’t try to hide the difficulty of doing so. Instrumentally, “get him back!” and “love is embarrassing” are peppy and upbeat, rewriting the narrative found in lots of pop music that takes relationship issues so seriously.
But, “Guts” isn’t limited to romantic relationships. Many fans are convinced “the grudge,” a slower piano ballad, is a stab at Rodrigo’s rumored frenemy Taylor Swift. Rodrigo has denied the rumors, telling Rolling Stone “I don’t have beef with anyone.” Regardless of who “the grudge” is about, Rodrigo’s razor-sharp critiques are so specific they can’t be made up. From “I have nightmares about each week about that Friday in May / One phone call from you and my entire world was changed” to “And I hear your voice every time that I think I’m not enough,” the singer is bitterly honest.
The second-to-last song on the album, “pretty isn’t pretty,” is an unmemorable return to the same conversation on unrealistic beauty standards, but “teenage dream,” the final track, makes up for it. With three Grammy awards, Rodrigo has had a wildly successful music career for her age, but she feels like the industry has stolen her teenage years in the process. “teenage dream” reflects this. Following its rock-inspired chorus, a piano solo outro wraps the album up on a pensive note.
As a whole, “Guts”’s 12 tracks take listeners on an emotional roller coaster that leaves them feeling both vulnerable and empowered. Its lyrics and instrumentals refuse to stick to a straightforward plot or mood. Several of the slower, more melancholic songs about insecurities and self-image sound repetitive, but only in comparison to standouts like “bad idea right?” and “vampire.”
With “Guts,” Rodrigo has answered the question she asks herself in “teenage dream:” “When am I gonna stop being great for my age and just start being good?” Unlike “Sour,” no one will know the album as a child actress’ foray into music — “Guts” will be known simply as a pop rock classic.
