Review: GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo
Last week, Olivia Rodrigo came out with her sophomore album “GUTS.” The two singles, “Vampire” and “Bad Idea, Right?” that were released weeks prior built the album’s suspense after a two year hiatus. Despite the long wait, “GUTS,” does not disappoint.
In 2021, Rodrigo released her first studio album “Sour,” which included her viral debut single “Driver’s License.” The song was a hit with over 15.7 million streams in a day, setting a Spotify record until it was broken again the next day with 17.01 million. Rodrigo’s album led her to seven Grammy nominations in 2022,with three wins in the Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist and Best Pop Solo Performance categories.
Prior to the release of “GUTS,” Rodrigo teased the album in various ways. In a video from July, she hid multiple easter eggs that hinted at the song titles to her new album and even shared a snippet of one of the unreleased songs at the time, “Bad Idea, Right?” This teaser was a success as it prompted fans to speculate.
The album’s opening track, “All-American B—-”, begins with a folk style and ends with a mix of pop and punk. The early punk feel comes from the tension of Rodrigo’s singing and yelling. The song displays self-confidence in a sarcastic way using lyrics like, “Got what you can’t resist, I’m an all-American b—-,” and “I’m sexy and I’m kind, I’m pretty when I cry.”
The song “Lacy” lyrically complements “Jealousy, Jealousy” from her first album. On the latter she sings, “With paper white teeth and perfect bodies, wish I didn’t care,” describing her feelings of envy, just as the lyrics “Ooh, I care, I care, I care, like perfume that you wear, I linger all the time,” do on “Lacy.”
A unique aspect to both of Rodrigo’s albums are the lack of features on any of her songs. All of the singing, songwriting and producing is done by Rodrigo and her producer Dan Nigro. All of her background harmonies are her own vocals as well. This gives them intimacy, as she conveys her feelings through her individual experiences and perspectives without the input of others.
Rodrigo’s songwriting highlights those unique perspectives and uses metaphors to portray stories. In “Favorite Crime” on her “Sour” album, she uses the metaphor, “One heart broke, four hands bloody.” This indicates that there was a third party involved as her heart was broken and two people were at fault. “The Grudge” in “GUTS” portrays Rodrigo’s vulnerability with lyrics like, “I doubt you ever think about the damage that you did. But I hold onto every detail like my life depends on it.”
Despite the fact that Rodrigo co-writes all of her own songs, she has publicly stated how much inspiration she takes from Taylor Swift and how some of her songs have been influenced by Swift. For example, the yelling in the bridge of “Deja Vu” from Rodrigo’s “Sour” album was inspired by Taylor Swift’s “Lover.” “Deja Vu” also derives inspiration from Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”
The songwriting and complexity of styles throughout “GUTS” make this album so distinctive. Rodrigo continues to produce and provide for those of all ages and genre preferences, and this album, like her previous one, has the potential to win a Grammy.
5/5
