GUTS – Olivia Rodrigo ★★★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2023	GUTS	Olivia Rodrigo	★★★★	80	Pop	Pop Rock	Pop Punk

I thought Olivia Rodrigo’s first album was good, but a little basic from start to finish. However, GUTS, her sophomore record, is really an improvement at every level — confidence in the vocal performance, maturity in the songwriting, more varied and full instrumentals. It’s banger after banger after banger. 

Yes, like its predecessor, GUTS is still predictable and formulaic, bouncing back and forth between power pop, pop rock and theatrical singer/songwriter piano ballads that gradually build to a big, showy climax. But, where I felt the tracks on her debut were much closer to generic pop, GUTS leans into an alternative, more aggressive guitar style on the upbeat tracks that really adds energy without jeopardizing her fun, sing-along hooks.  

The lyrics are a good mix of personal stories, emotional passage and fun, somewhat self-deprecating lines about fame, status and failed relationships. The coming-of-age themes are basic and high-school drama-y for sure, but they feel like they come naturally, and are easy to connect with and understand. 

I do think the ballads are still too same-y for me at times, even if they are well done and have a bit more variety in terms of instrumentation this time around. I like “Vampires” and “Lacy,” but by the time we get to “The Grudge” it’s kind of like, “Here we go again.” They’re good songs on their own, but in the context of a 12-track album, having six of the songs hitting those same high points takes some of the drama away.  

But what Rodrigo does best is appeal to today’s teenaged youth while making those of us who grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s feel young again. She’s obviously drawn influences from today’s top pop stars like Taylor Swift and Lorde, while also tapping into the energy of Weezer, the rawness of Hole (and maybe more appropriately Paramore), the peppy hooks of Avril Lavigne, and some of the drama of Evanescence and even the Cure.