By Bella Rainey

In 2021, Olivia Rodrigo stunned the world with “Sour” —a short but sweet record that journies through heartbreak and girlhood. It balanced immaturity and maturity in a way many thought would be impossible to top. 

Spoiler alert: She topped it. 

“GUTS” is one of the best sophomore pop albums I have had the pleasure of listening to, analyzing, and dissecting—and I’m still thinking about it six months after it debuted on September 8, 2023.

The album leans into hints of pop-punk we got in “Sour,” but it stays true to Olivia’s ballad-y roots. She focuses on topics such as hooking up with an ex, jealousy, and the difficult (but exciting) transition from teenage girl to young woman. It’s a lot to cover in just 39 minutes, so let’s hop in. 

Track One: all-american bitch 

Okay, talk about knowing your audience. When I saw this was the title for track no. 1, I may or may not have let out a small squeal. This track details Olivia’s experience of being a woman in American society, especially a young one. 

She uses lyrics such as:“And I am built like a mother and a total machine; I feel for your every little issue, I know just what you mean,” to show what it’s like to constantly serve others as a mother would while maintaining the dainty, child-like image of girlhood. This relates to her dynamic with rising to fame and struggling to fit into this “perfect, American princess” role tabloids placed her in. 

Track Two: bad idea right? 

The second single for this album came out a few weeks before the full record. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first single, vampire, this was the track that got me excited about “GUTS.” 

With clear inspiration from artists like Wet Leg, this song has an alt sound with sing-speak verses. Throughout this song it feels as if you’re sitting across from Olivia, sipping on a glass of wine and talking shit. 

My favorite lyric in this song has to be: “Oh, yes, I know that he’s my ex;  but can’t two people reconnect?; I only see him as a friend; I just tripped and fell into his bed,” that’s just comedic genius. 

Track Three: Vampire 

A ballad is Olivia’s kryptonite. As the first single to introduce the new album, it took over social media in a blink. 

Rumored to be about her ex-boyfriend Zac Bia, who is much older than her and has a career centered around wanting to be famous, the lyrics “Bloodsucker, fame fucker, bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire,” gives us an inkling that the rumors may be correct. 

Compared to other ballads from “SOUR,” the varying instrumentals in the bridge and finale of the song set this single apart from drivers license–which feels necessary for Olivia’s continuous growth as a popstar. 

The shining star of this song has to be the music video—it is by far her most grunge, weird, and artistic to date–and she even recreated it on the VMAs stage. Thespian behavior.

Track Four: lacy 

Enter: whisper voice. This vocal tone may not be everyone’s favorite, but Olivia does it beautifully. lacy is so different from her softer + slower lyrics, as she explains complicated feelings toward a fellow woman (platonically, it seems!). 

As a Leo Sun, this song feels like it was made for me. Jealousy is a tough emotion, and this song describes it in a non-maniacal and vulnerable way that more people probably relate to than she expected. (It has the most clicks on Genius Lyrics, so that confirms my assumptions.) 

“Ooh, I care, I care, I care; like ribbons in your hair, my stomach’s all in knots; you got the one thing that I want,” a stanza rumored to be about either (or maybe both) Gracie Abrams and Sabrina Carpenter, other young pop stars experiencing similar success. While we will probably never know if that’s true, I think it is safe to assume this song relates to fellow industry girlies. 

Track Five: ballad of a homeschooled girl 

News flash: This is NOT a ballad. The album energy picks up with this song, explaining the isolating experience of homeschooling, or really, child stardom. 

Olivia has voiced that she deals with anxiety and social awkwardness, so the theme of this came as no surprise to me. Throughout the verses she brings back some of the sing-speak style we saw in bad idea right?–it slays, end of story.

If you showed this to me three months ago and told me it was an Avril Lavigne song, I would’ve believed you—a huge compliment. 

She is embracing the early 2000s punk-girl aesthetic in this tune, but the lyrics don’t mirror that cool girl feel with the chorus, “I broke a glass, I tripped and fell; I told secrets I shouldn’t tell; I stumbled over all my words; I made it weird, I made it worse; each time I step outside, it’s social suicide.” Mood. 

Track Six: making the bed

This song is my Roman Empire, my cross to bear. Arguably one of her most underrated showcases of songwriting to date, I will live and die for making the bed. 

I wish I was this self-aware as a 19 year old. Throughout this song, Olivia acknowledges that she may be the person causing the problems, stress, and/or turmoil in her life. She explains this as making the bed–basically, she made her bed and now she has to lay in it. 

Genius, much? 

The melody is hard to get out of your head, with lyrics that make you physically nod your head and choruses that feel like they’ll never end: “Well, sometimes I feel like I don’t wanna be where I am; gettin’ drunk at a club with my fair-weather friends; push away all the people who know me the best; but it’s me who’s been makin’ the bed.” Like….okay….we get it!

Track 7:logical 

Another ballad, another bill for Ms. Olivia. While logical is not my favorite ballad of hers, I can acknowledge its strengths. Its main pressure point is the insane, criminal, and Taylor Swift-level bridge:“Argument you held over my head; brought up the girls you could have instead; said I was too young, I was too soft; can’t take a joke, can’t get you off.” This takes the case as some of her most vulnerable lyrics to date, which for me, makes up for a little cheesy of a chorus. 

Track Eight: get him back 

Olivia really said, “Oh, you think bad idea right? was funny? Check this out.” 

This song is truly the anthem for girls who love a revenge plot. It stays with the pop-punk theme of the other non-ballads and is a bit tongue-in-cheek, explaining that she wants to get him back in a boyfriend way, but also in a scheming, revenge way.

It may not be our proudest moment, but I am so sure we’ve all experienced something like this before. The bridge gives the full picture of the double entendre: “I wanna kiss his face with an uppercut, I wanna meet his mom, and tell her her son sucks.” She is so real for this. 

Track Nine: love is embarrassing 

Because what’s more embarrassing than catching feelings? But really, the lyrics of this song are quite wholesome while maintaining honesty about how odd it can feel to give parts of yourself to someone you’re in love with. While this is a bit of a lull for me on the record, I think this bridge is one of her best. It has an addicting melody and makes the rest of the song even more interesting. 

Track Ten: the grudge 

This song wins the award for not talked about enough on “GUTS.” Our ballad queen showed UP for this song to wrap up the record’s b-side. It has everything that makes up a good ballad: 

• Heartbreaking piano instrumental 
• Cheesy lyrics such as “It takes strength to forgive, but I don’t feel strong” 
• Criminal lyrics such as “And I fantasize about a time you’re a little fuckin’ sorry” 

This song was made to scream-sing, and I think that makes it one of my top Olivia songs. I can’t help but squeeze my eyes shut and gasp for air between each verse—it’s that good. 

Track 11: pretty isn’t pretty 

As lacy’s sister-song and the niece of jealousy, jealousy from “SOUR,” pretty isn’t pretty touches on how hard it can be to keep up with fashion, beauty, and fitness trends as a woman.  

One of Olivia’s songwriting strengths is any theme of jealousy or comparison. She just gets it. She explains the experience of buying every trend, trying every beauty remedy, forcing yourself into every fitness expectation, and STILL not feeling worthy enough. I am looking forward to seeing how she grows into this writing style as her views, feelings, and experiences change.

Track 12: teenage dream 

Listen, if you’re going to title a song teenage dream, it better be freaking awesome in honor of our queen Katy Perry and her undeniably perfect pop album with a shared title. 

Olivia delivered, no shock here. The first time I listened to this song, the first verse hit me like a freight train: “When am I gonna stop being wise beyond my years and just start being wise?; When am I gonna stop being a pretty young thing to guys?; When am I gonna stop being great for my age and just start being good?”

I have never been able to put this feeling into such eloquence, and I immediately paused to wipe my tears and rewind on the first listen. Women are taught that aging is a flaw, whereas men are celebrated the older they get–a theme Olivia unravels throughout this emotional album closer. 

The song builds up to the bridge where Olivia incorporates a “Happier Than Ever” vibe with an instrumental breakdown and heavy lyrics repeating:“They all say that it gets better; it gets better the more you grow; yeah, they all say that it gets better; it gets better, but what if I don’t?” 

An anthem, and more importantly, a legendary way to close a sophomore album. 

I foresee this album to continue being successful, just like “SOUR,” and her upcoming 2024 arena tour will continue the well-deserved hype. From its pop-punk influence to its masterful ballads, this album gets an overall 9/10 from me. 

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