GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo Changed My Life

Oh god, here we go again.

Who keeps giving me, a person who doesn't understand music at all, permission to keep writing about music?

However, as a 22 year old teenage girl, I am the perfect age demographic for the masterpiece that is GUTS.

Rodrigo demonstrated her music prowess when she released her album SOUR a few years ago. I was part of a sorority then, and hearing her name coupled with praise for "driver's license" got so exhausting, I refused to ever listen to her music.

And then I realized that was incredibly stupid, got in the shower, hugged my legs to my chest, and scream cried while singing "traitor."

To be honest, I wasn't sure she could top SOUR. That album was impressive from start to finish, so I had extremely high expectations. When "vampire" finally dropped, I remember listening to the beginning of the song and asking all my friends if those first few notes sounded familiar (remember this for later.) Regardless, the song made it onto all my playlists and on the top of my "On Repeat" playlist on Spotify.

But, when "bad idea right?" dropped, I was part of the community that really did not like it... then I listened to it again, and again, and again, and felt like I was living my dream as a teenager in the '00s listening to Avril Lavigne and writing angsty poetry about my middle school crush; "bad idea right?" is evidence that Olivia Rodrigo is single handedly bringing back grungy pop vibes that I haven't heard in a long, long time.

"all-american bitch" is the perfect introduction to this spectacular album, with her cathartic screaming and smooth transition into "bad idea right?". Other than that, it didn't really top my list of favorite songs from this album.

I was part of a sorority then, and hearing her name coupled with praise for "driver's license" got so exhausting, I refused to ever listen to her music. And then I realized that was incredibly stupid, got in the shower, hugged my legs to my chest, and scream cried while singing "traitor."

When "vampire" started playing, I was thoroughly enjoying the carefree vibes of her sophomore album. SOUR felt much more serious; her heartbreak was palpable amongst every track and "brutal" the closest we got to the wonderful teenage angst in GUTS.

Although those first couple tracks were lighthearted and pop-forward, GUTS quickly takes a turn, delving into track 4: "lacy." "lacy" is like "jealousy, jealousy"'s older, more mature sister. It's a deeply emotional and vulnerable track, where Olivia is able to voice her insecurities: "Smart, sexy Lacy, I'm losin’ it lately / I feel your compliments like bullets on skin / Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate / Well, aren't you the greatest thing to ever exist?" These sentiments are echoed in "driver's license": "And you're probably with that blonde girl / Who always made me doubt / She's so much older than me / She's everything I'm insecure about."

Rodrigo is no stranger to these personal tracks, so "lacy" didn't feel lost amongst the other songs in the album. It did exactly what it was meant to do: it humanized the young singer into more than just a heartbroken popstar, but as someone with insecurities just like everybody else.

"ballad of a homeschooled girl" circles back to the same energy that we got in the first few tracks, with silly lyrics like: "I talkеd to this hot guy, swore I was his type / Guess that he was makin' out with boys, like, the whole night (Oh) / Everythin' I do is tragic (Oh) / Every guy I like is gay (Oh)." This track is fun and relatable, and really captures the feeling of "hangziety:" the morning-after regret of getting absolutely shitfaced the night prior.

It did exactly what it was meant to do: it humanized the young singer into more than just a heartbroken popstar, but as someone with insecurities just like everybody else.

My favorite part of the album starts here. "making the bed," "logical," and "the grudge" are the most gorgeous songs on this album. "making the bed" is subdued, it's personal and it's heartbreaking. It captures the feeling of coming to terms with the fact that, at the end of the day, you did this to yourself. You're the one responsible for making the bed and sleeping in it. It is the beginning of the end of the album, finishing it up with a few tracks that feel like you are in the room with Rodrigo, crying about heartbreak and planning your revenge on the one who hurt you.

"get him back!" is a cute song with a double meaning: getting your ex back and getting your ex back for everything he did to you. Regardless of how you feel about your most recent situationship, "get him back!" is so fun and relatable, you have no choice but to sing along.

I've been listening to "the grudge" on repeat for over a month now. The entirety of this song is absolutely gorgeous and shows that this young popstar is capable of writing incredibly honest and relatable songs that you can scream-sing in your car. However, "the grudge" doesn't have to be about a boy; it can be about anyone you truly admired and loved who took advantage of you and broke your heart and betrayed you. However, Olivia isn't making herself out to be the victim in this song, like she did in "traitor." She acknowledges her faults, a common theme amongst every song on GUTS. The bridge is the cherry on top of this fantastic song; much like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo writes powerful bridges that strengthen her songs and demonstrate her vocal stamina. "the grudge" may have the best bridge on the entire album.

"logical" is my second favorite song on GUTS. Can you tell I have a thing for depressing songs with awesome bridges? "logical" has truly beautiful lyrics with the hidden sentiment of still loving someone who drove you crazy and gaslit you. At the end of it all, loving someone doesn't have to make sense. It genuinely never does. But, Rodrigo continues to take accountability for her actions and acknowledges that love and heartbreak aren't one sided; both her and her ex are guilty for participating in a relationship that was doomed to fail.

When "vampire" finally dropped, I remember listening to the beginning of the song and asking all my friends if those first few notes sounded familiar (remember this for later.)

Olivia Rodrigo has one flaw, however. All her songs, more or less, sound the same. I don't mean that her entire album sounds the same from start to finish. I mean, if you take one song from GUTS and compare it to another song on SOUR, you will hear the similarities. Every song on her sophomore album sounds similar to another one on her debut album. Take "logical" and "enough for you," both songs are beautifully written, but their structure is painfully similar. It almost feels like you're listening to the same song. "bad idea right?" "all-american bitch" and "brutal" are all the same song, different words.

I'm not saying this to seem edgy, I'm saying this because Rodrigo found her voice when she recorded SOUR and hasn't tried to change it or try something new because, to be honest, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So, I understand the young singer's frustration when people constantly compare her to Taylor Swift: one of the most multidimensional and talented people currently in the music industry. She has made it consistently clear for the last year that she is trying to build her name and trademark her sound, but there are moments where I hear Swift's influence on her songwriting. The powerful bridges between meaningful choruses aren't completely original to Taylor Swift, but they feel like her trademark, and Olivia learned from the best.

Regardless, GUTS is a spectacular album, and Olivia Rodrigo has proven her skillset as a musician twice-over. Take a listen and think about me, behind the wheel of my car, scream singing "bad idea right?" at the top of my lungs.