Olivia Rodrigo, America’s bona fide break-up artist, has released her new album Guts and it’s a wild ride of heartbreak, anger, and teenage drama.
In the height of the pandemic, Olivia Rodrigo released her debut album Sour; an album full of gut wrenching piano and lyrics that make the tears seem like they will never stop. Sour took over the charts and hung there for a few weeks. Snippets of the lyrics could be seen everywhere on Tiktok and other social media platforms. While Sour is a fantastic album, the question everyone’s been asking; is Guts just as good?
The album starts off with “all american b****”, an audible manifestation of what it’s like to be a teenage girl in the midwest and the rebellion of wanting to be different. The song has a usual mellow and soft melody during the verse that is interrupted by the modern-rock style chorus where she flips the switch both in melody and lyrics. The beginning of the song has you believing that it will be a softer song talking about lighter things that are expected from a teenage girl. However, when the rock guitar starts up, Rodrigo explodes in a fueled rage, stating, “Got what you can’t resist” and “With perfect all-American lips and perfect all-American hips” suggesting she loves just a tad bit of rebellion.
The second song in the album, “bad idea right?” Is the perfect song for anyone who wants to justify getting back with their ex. The song is reminiscent of the golden age of teenage film, the early 2000’s. Anyone who is a fan of Jennifer’s Body will love “bad idea right?”. With the absolutely screamable lyrics, it makes a perfect hype song for anyone getting ready for the party of the century. In the bridge of the song, there are also some parts that would make an amazing air guitar performance.
“Vampire” is the third song of the album and has the usual Olivia Rodrigo melodramatic and depressed melody. Rodrigo goes on about someone who stole something from her, sucking her dry like a vampire. It’s another excellent song to scream with tears streaming down your face and relatable lyrics that punch you right in the heart.
If anyone is looking for another song to bring on the tears, “lacy” is just what you are looking for. Rodrigo describes the feeling of feeling secondary to a beautiful woman, wondering what it would be like to be just like her. The song is a representation of how jealousy can destroy someone from the inside out, and an expression of how it feels. The song has some debatable sapphic lines near the end of the song, Rodrigo writing “And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you. Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you.” It is unsure what Rodrigo meant, but it wouldn’t be incorrect to see the song as a twisted lesbian love song.
“ballad of a homeschooled girl” picks up the album’s alternative rock tones with an amazing guitar intro. The song talks about how difficult high school drama is and how it doesn’t take much to feel like an outsider. These days, word spreads like wildfire and you have to be so careful of what you say, and Rodrigo captures the anxiety of it all in this song. The chorus of the song repeats, “It’s social suicide, wanna curl up and die” over and over again, showing just how rough these rumours can be.
Marking the end of the first half of the album, “making the bed” is arguably one of Rodrigo’s best sad songs. The lyrics of the song are amazing, giving the feeling of wondering when you will finally break into tears. She states how she is unhappy with her life and how even though she doesn’t want to, she has been the one throwing herself into that depression. It’s a vent for all the people who can’t seem to understand why they can’t allow themselves to be happy.
While the first half of Guts is filled with amazing songs that either leave you wrecked or ready to wreck something, the second half is not as monumental.
“Logic” is a pretty bad example of how Rodrigo can make you feel. The song talks about how she was manipulated and how it ruined her, but it also must have ruined her ability to make amazing music. The chorus starts with “two plus two equals five” which, in the context of the song, is a representation of how her partner ruined her perception of reality, but she could have used a much better line. Otherwise, the song is a beautiful way to vent some emotions.
To set the mood for the second half of the album, “get him back!” is a punk rock incarnation of everything you shouldn’t do. The lyrics are a warning of what happens when you start dating someone who doesn’t truly care about you. “Get him back!” Tells the story of the jealousy and rage of dating a toxic person. The song has amazing guitar and unique sounds. Rodrigo sings the lyrics in a way that makes you want to scream in your car. All in all, the song is a beautiful way to show how it feels to be dumped by someone you shouldn’t have loved.
Adding to the screaming feeling of Guts, “love is embarrassing” is another song about love and its hardships. In this song, Rodrigo talks about the difficulties of dating in this new era. So many rules and arbitrary regulations. Just one word can mess up absolutely everything. It’s a relatable song for anyone who knows the hardships of trying to be honest without being cringey.
“The grudge” brings back memories of Rodrigo’s previous album, Sour, and with it are all of those tough memories. The song itself has a low tone and instruments akin to the piano. In the lyrics, Rodrigo talks about the heartbreak we have all experienced when the person you trusted threw everything out the window. It feels like you’ll never love again. Rodrigo puts the whole feeling into one song and adds cryable lyrics. Perfect to add to that break-up playlist.
Continuing with the early 2000s vibe, “pretty isn’t pretty” talks about how some people just hate everything about their bodies. The lyrics describe how most women are forced into this skinny narrative and have to wear makeup to be pretty. It’s another ballad of no matter how much you try, you will never be enough for society. It’s a way for people to connect about their traumatic experiences with their bodies.
The last song on the album, “teenage dream”, deals with begrudgingly growing up. Despite what everyone thinks of when they think of the ‘teenage dream’, the song is much slower than expected. It talks about how it hurts to grow up, especially when you aren’t growing as a person anymore. Rodrigo describes how it feels to stay stagnant as a person when everyone expects you to grow up even more, and, even worse, when they used all of your youth up. The song eventually devolves into a screaming match with heavy drums, showing just how painful it is to be used by someone who still wants more out of you.
Even with all of the amazing songs produced by Rodrigo, the album overall is very similar to Sour with a bit of an alternative rock twist. It brings the rage of teenage drama and heartache with the sadness of self-hatred. It’s a great album to let out all of those emotions, but in the end, I’d stick with Sour.
