REVIEW: Olivia Rodrigo's "GUTS" via Geffen

Olivia Rodrigo seems to be a pretty controversial topic right now for either being the best new thing in music or for clinging to similar artists who came before her. Not that I think there’s any shame in it but I was a huge fan of SOUR and as such was very much looking forward to this new record. I also think expressing how lame she is all over the internet is a little lame on your own part but not the topic of the day.

On criticism, however, Rodrigo seems much more attuned to what hate she does receive on this new album. “I know my age and I act like it” as the first chorus to an opening song is a move that feels so pointed but one I cannot help but respect. While her punk credibility is being challenged Rodrigo wastes no time putting out music with more drive than most actual emo bands coming out right now and “all-american bitch” is just the beginning of that. The internet does, however, make that hate very easy to fall into. I personally was ready to be offended by the lyrics to “ballad of a homeschooled girl” by the timeline alone but in context I find it completely fine. That’s not to say everything is perfect on the record, however. For example if I listened to “get him back” without the body of the album around it I think I would actually get second-hand embarrassment for its child-like view on a failed relationship. What’s worse is this is one of the strongest songs sonically even if it kicks off a weaker stretch of GUTS overall presentation.


Everything I do is tragic, every guy I like is guy

The morning after I panic, oh God what did I say?


I guess I did just talk about calling her lame, so!


I will also say there’s huge emotional growth between SOUR and GUTS. On SOUR things felt truly bleak where now it feels cautiously emotional. On “bad idea right” Rodrigo bargains with herself on whether or not seeing an ex is a good idea and it not only makes for much more interesting storytelling, it also just comes off as less helpless. At that, songs like “vampire” are a testament to the fact that it truly is all for the sake of the show. This is lyrically very strong, you can’t take that away from anyone, and it's completely aware of how toxic the ones she’s left behind are.


As mentioned above, this isn’t just a better album lyrically, it is musically as well. While I was cautious of whatever the hip hop influence on a white-released pop record was, these songs are a much stronger bunch than the first time around. Granted none of this is anything no one’s ever heard and I’d even venture to say that songs like “vampire” and “lacy” sort of hit the same, however, I’d be lying if I said things like the pop rock rager “ballad of a homeschooled girl” don’t go over as an absolute blast. Some of the ballads do fall a little flat for me but I think it’s mainly because I go into GUTS wanting to have fun and they’re quite a few of them overall. But maybe it's because for all the growth nothing really hits on the emotional level that “Traitor” did.


Olivia Rodrigo is far from the first girl to approach a song about beauty standards but I really appreciate deviating from the concept to include “pretty isn’t pretty.” The song approaches personal insecurities without clinging desperately to blaming the models and even if it does mention the magazines I don’t find it to be so caught up in tearing other women down. As a woman who constantly struggles with her self-image and fell in love with one of her favorite bands because of their ability to capture that, I'll always love a self-help track.


The album ends on a powerful note in “teenage dream,” something I was worried by just the tracklist would be a cover. Everyone says you’ll move past your pain, everyone says you’ll grow from it. What if you don’t? What if it eats you forever until you’re a shadow of your former self? Until it owns you completely. Thankfully, in terms of this record, that doesn’t seem to be the case.


I liked this record


Favorite tracks:

  1. all-american bitch
  2. bad idea right?
  3. vampire
  4. lacy
  5. ballad of a homeschooled girl
  6. making the bed
  7. logical
  8. get him back!
  9. love is embarrassing
  10. the grudge
  11. pretty isn't pretty
  12. teenage dream

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