GUTS

GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo

by Maggie Sarcos

GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo is an explosion of the mind of a teenage girl. From punchy pop-punk to gut-wrenching ballads, she covers it all. This album is an emotional rollercoaster, in the best way possible.

Throughout the album, listeners see the inside of dealing with societal expectations as a woman. In the bold opening track, “all-american bitch,” she plays on this theme with sarcasm, softly singing, “And I’m alright with the movies that make jokes about senseless cruelty, that’s for sure.” It then explodes into the lyrics, “Forgive, and I forget, I know my age and I act like it.” “pretty isn’t pretty” is a song about beauty standards, how with media you will never feel good or “pretty” enough. In “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” she describes the social anxiety that follows teenagers and young adults every day, a relatable song whether you were homeschooled or not. She starts the song off with a loud guitar and drums that make a statement, singing, “Cat got my tongue, and I don’t think I get along with anyone. Blood running cold, I’m on the outside of the greatest inside joke.” It is most definitely not your typical piano ballad.

However, many songs are. Although much of the album is loud and angry, she still pays homage to her roots coming from her debut album, SOUR. Many of these heartbreaking ballads have an ongoing theme of regret. On the lead single “vampire,” she sings, “I should’ve known it was strange, you’d only come out at night.” In “logical,” she strips down the sound with simple but angsty piano, ending the song with “I know I could’ve stopped it all, God why didn’t I stop it all?”

Along with the sadness and angst, some songs are just plain fun. “bad idea right?”, the second lead single, is a silly song with tons of bass, tons of pop-rock, and even rapping in the verses. It’s a song about knowing someone’s bad for you, but living in the moment and making stupid adolescent decisions. The music video is fun, sparkly, and loud. This song is key in her statement that she’s grown now, she isn’t the fearful girl she was on SOUR anymore. She cheekily says, “And I told my friends I was asleep, but I never said where or in whose sheets,” the lyric that sparked social media debate on whether the lyric was “in his sheets” or “in whose sheets.” “get him back!” is another rock/rap song, with layered gang vocals that you can tell was fun to make. She goes, “He had an ego and a temper and a wandering eye, he said he’s 6 foot 2 and I’m like ‘dude, nice try!’” Again, it’s a contemplative song about whether she loves, hates, or wants a guy that is bad for her. “Do I love him, do I hate him? I guess it’s up and down,” she says.

Overall, if you want anger, listen to GUTS. If you want melancholy, listen to GUTS. If you want to sing into a hairbrush and dance in your bedroom, listen to GUTS. It’s messy, it’s fun, it’s emotional, and will make history as an album for teens and women everywhere.