A gritty, heartfelt confessional, “GUTS” by Olivia Rodrigo captures the poison of newfound fame and failed relationships, locking it in an angsty, abrasive pop-punk album. Released Sept. 8, her latest record is a follow up to “SOUR” (2021), a profound debut that transformed the Disney star into a teen pop icon overnight — “GUTS” only cements Rodrigo’s status as a masterful singer-songwriter of her generation.
“GUTS” is an organized mess; Rodrigo reminisces over stories of toxic exes and young adulthood anxieties in bouts of blazing pop-rock bangers and stripped ballads. With producer Dan Nigro’s punk-influenced production steering the album’s upbeat tracks, and Rodrigo’s voice brilliantly taking the wheel in the record’s slower songs, “GUTS” is both versatile yet consistent with stellar songwriting, production, and vocal performance in each of its 12 tracks.
Alongside the distinct, 2000’s-inspired production, “GUTS” signature is its witty, tongue-in-cheek songwriting. “Yes I know that he’s my ex / Can’t two people reconnect?” she questions in “Bad Idea, Right?”, guilty of running back to a toxic past relationship. Accompanied by the song’s spunky guitar passages and talk-sung vocals, “Bad Idea, Right?” is equally as comical as it is addictive.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo delivers uppercuts of vengeance in “Get Him Back!,” a brutal comedy where she teeters between seeking revenge on her ex and wanting to get back with him — later settling for both in the song’s explosive chorus. As drums and guitar consume the track’s instrumentals, she makes harsh blows at her ex, yet also yearns for him. A meltdown of indecisiveness, the song’s hook is irresistible, layering Rodrigo’s voice to mimic an outcry of conflicting desires.
In the record’s lead single, “Vampire” bleeds with poignancy; Rodrigo cathartically laments over an older lover whose manipulation caused a toxic imbalance in their relationship, biting deep into her sanity. Slow piano instrumentation morphs into consequent thrashes of guitar in the bridge. Ultimately, “Vampire” is more horror story than pop song, grimly detailing a painful, cautionary tale of exploitation.
“GUTS” isn’t all glossy pop punk, either. In “Making the Bed,” Rodrigo confesses to her bad decisions being at fault for her life’s disasters. “And I’m playin’ the victim so well in my head / But it’s me who’s been makin’ the bed,” she sings over layered, mid-tempo piano. The pinnacle of “Making the Bed” is Rodrigo’s lyricism; through the metaphorical connection of making her own bed, she aligns her distresses with her own reckless decisions.
Rodrigo closes an old chapter and opens a new one in “Teenage Dream,” a lament that is both a somber reflection of her teenage years and the looming anxiety for the life ahead of her. As birthday candles blow out and Rodrigo steps out of adolescence, delicate violins perfect the finale of “Teenage Dream,” yet she questions, “They all say that it gets better / but what if I don’t?”
“SOUR” was Rodrigo’s introduction to the realm of teen angst and tragic heartbreak, but “GUTS” is a true testament of her artistry. She hopscotches between genres, experiments with production, confesses to her misdeeds, spirals into revenge, and criticizes love and fame, crafting a teenage fantasy synonymous with Olivia Rodrigo. Exploring the complexity of anger, angst, and grief felt in these stories, she weaves her emotions into a brillant record that at heart captures the messiness of young adulthood.
