On Sept. 8, Olivia Rodrigo released her second album, “GUTS.” It is incredible and she has so much passion for her work. I can see that she has definitely embraced her role as a singer and songwriter over the years. I also can really hear her honesty and her true self throughout this story of an album. I really appreciate her pop-punk style of music and that she dives into her lyrics with so much emotion. Here are my honest reviews about each of her tracks.
1. “All American Bitch”: This song is the PERFECT opening song to “GUTS.” I love how it starts off very gently and how it immediately turns into this loud and fun pop-punk song, which sounds like it’s from 2008. It makes me want to dance and I love how powerful the lyrics are about living up to ideals as a teenage girl in this country. This song is also incredible while it is sped up. I would absolutely love to hear this if I ever get to see Rodrigo live.
2. “Bad Idea Right?”: My brain always goes “ahhhh” whenever I hear this song, especially the sped up version. It is so good and it is so raw with emotion. I love how she is honest with herself when she wants to go back to her ex but she knows it is a “bad idea.” This song is also very relatable to a lot of people who miss their ex but they are also aware that it is a bad idea to take on the action of seeing them again. Such a fantastic song.
3. “Vampire”: When I listened to this song, I was expecting a pop-punk piece, but I had no idea it was going to start off as a piano ballad. I love how unexpected this song is, with it starting off as sweet and soft and then Rodrigo screaming her emotions towards the end. I understand why this song is one of her top hits on “GUTS” and the sped up version as well.
4. “Lacy”: I feel like this song gives off sad fall vibes. It’s very acoustic and also the vibes are lowkey but the lyrics give off strong messages about self worth. I love how it is very emotional as well.
5. “Ballad of a homeschooled girl”: This song is very cool and grunge! It sounds like it came straight from the 90’s and it also gives off Paramore vibes with a modern twist. Again, very honest lyrics about self worth and also such a fun song to rock out to.
6. “Making the bed”: Oh my gosh this song is incredible. I feel the vibes from this song and for some strange reason, it is comforting. I also love the lyrics and I like the sadness of it as well.
7. “Logical”: The lyrics and notes on the song are incredibly powerful. I can feel Rodrigo’s sadness through this song and I felt a connection to this song. I love how personal she was in this song and how she was so raw in talking about how love can be a mixture of emotions in our age group.
8. “Get him back!”: This song is one of my favorites in GUTS. I love how the song holds vintage vibes but with a modern twist. This song is also very relatable to me and this would also be a great song to hear live. I’m happy that this song is on the radio from time to time also.
9. “Love is embarrassing”: Oh wow. This song is great just like the rest and I can hear a lot more anger and pent up emotions in this one, more than the other ones. I also love the pop-punk and religious aspects as well.
10. “The grudge”: This is another one of Rodrigo’s sad ballads in this album and I, yet again, relate to this song as well. I love how she uses music to tie into her emotions which are relatable to a lot of people, including myself. This was also an honest song that held a lot of pent up emotions as well.
11. “Pretty isn’t pretty”: This one really spoke to me. Rodrigo was preaching in this song that women are so pressured in society to look and act a certain way. Even if you reach those ideals, you are still not good enough. I love the 2010’s pop-punk aspects in this song and I really like that Rodrigo is trying to promote the message to society that we are good enough without these ideals.
12. “Teenage dream”: The final track of this album ends off with a soft wave of sadness in the reality of being a teenager. While ending this song with a band, I love how she makes this another amazing raw ballad song as well.
Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this album and I could really hear how Rodrigo has grown as a person and as a musician over the years. She truly has a gift for being raw with her emotions and hardships in her music. I love how she uses a variety of pitches in her songs as well. I really enjoy hearing the pop-punk in her music, which shows that this type of music is making an awesome comeback. I want to see her perform these songs live sometime next year and I wish nothing but the best for her.