Olivia Rodrigo has been one of the most intriguing pop artists of the decade. Her album SOUR was interesting in that, while it had the pop ballads that were standard in a song by someone like Taylor Swift, it also had songs that were heavily influenced by pop punk works of the 2000s from groups like Paramore, such as in songs like “Good 4 U”.
This influence set Rodrigo apart from the rest of most pop artists today, and made her a fascinating artist to watch evolve. Because of her rise to popularity, new works from her were highly anticipated, at least for me. So when her album GUTS dropped on September 8, I was excited to see what it was going to sound like, and whether it would be a worthy followup to SOUR. Thankfully, Rodrigo’s new release is gripping, punchy, and sets her apart even more from the competition.
One thing that has always made Rodrigo different from her peers is her pop punk influence, which is on even bigger display in GUTS, still having that perfect amount of standard ballads. The opener, “all american” displays the dichotomy between these two sounds perfectly, with a soft verse built on acoustic guitar that then transitions into a punchy and angry pop punk style chorus, perfectly introducing us to the sound of the album.
The following track “bad idea right?” is fully rock, but feels different and fresh compared to other modern rock songs through Rodrigo’s vocals, such as the mesmerizing vocal harmonies on the pre-chorus. Other tracks such as “get him back” and “ballad of a homeschool girl” similarly feature amazing vocals and pop punk writing, but the ballads here are just as stellar.
“Vampirevampire”, the lead single for the album, features amazing vocal performances and writing, as do “making the bed” and “teenage dream”. My main criticism with these ballads, however, is that they do not show much growth. Many of them sound like the same ballads we’d find on SOUR, which were not bad by any means, but this lack of innovation can make for a less interesting listen on some tracks.
The main thing that has failed many pop rock albums of today is the production. Whether it be Machine Gun Kelly or even modern Weezer albums, no pop artist seems to be able to properly produce a rock song. On GUTS, this is different.
The production on nearly every song is fantastic, a relief in modern pop rock. The guitar tones in “all american” are perfectly mixed to provide the right amount of punch, and the distorted bass in “get him back!” provides a great backbone for the track. The drums as well are also amazingly integrated into every song.
The ballads as well also have fantastic production. The vocal build up in “lacy” is one of my favorite moments on the album, with the different effects and many tracks adding up to an emotional crescendo.
The song writing here is also fantastic. The build up and sudden tempo change near the end of “ballad of a homeschool girl” feels so satisfying, as well as the melody in “pretty isn’t pretty”. The song writing can also keep you on your toes, such as in “all american”, which features many unexpected shifts from quiet to loud, reminiscent of many 80s and 90s indie rock bands such as Pavement and Pixies.
In the current pop game, Rodrigo is one of the most talented vocalists around, which is very pronounced in GUTS. In emotional songs like “vampire” and “pretty isn’t pretty”, her powerful vocal performance solidifies the song and perfectly conveys the emotion of the song. However, Rodrigo also exercises her rock singing style on this album, with more sassy and spoken word delivery that is more focused on emotion and power than accuracy.
These styles hit very well on songs like “get him back!” and “bad idea right?”. The unique vocal delivery of these songs makes the songs unique compared to the rest of the pop game. However, sometimes these deliveries fall flat. The scream at the end of “all american” is very off pitch, which is normal for most screams, but Rodrigo is holding back too much to make it work, which makes the entire moment very awkward. Some other moments can also be too sassy, which borderline on annoying, though this is not often in the album.
One of my favorite aspects of Rodrigo is her authenticity, especially when it comes to her lyrics, which stays consistent throughout GUTS. All of the songs are written exclusively by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro, who was the main producer on the album. This is unlike many pop songs, which usually have many more writers. The few writers here mean Rodrigo has more creative control, and can put herself into the songs more, which she definitely does in GUTS.
Her lyrics are highly personal and complex, with Rodrigo providing a unique perspective in pop music. “Ballad of a homeschool girl” perfectly details Rodrigo’s social anxiety, “all american” provides satire on the personality and ideas that are forced onto women in pop culture, and “lacy” perfectly conveys her feelings of envy and insecurity to those she views as “better” than her. Songs like “vampire” and “logical” are emotional attacks on bad exes, but Rodrigo does not portray herself as a saint. “Get him back!” displays Rodrigo’s more toxic side, while still being self aware and self critical, similarly with “bad idea right?” Rodrigo’s willingness to fully display herself with no restraints makes an authenticity that makes the album feel real and human.
Overall, GUTS is a fantastic evolution and follow up to SOUR, with fantastic production and songwriting as well as amazing lyrics, and it makes me excited for what comes next from her.