“I fear that they already got all the best parts of me” — “teenage dream” (Track 12 on “GUTS”)
Pop star Olivia Rodrigo released her long-awaited sophomore album “GUTS” on Friday, Sept. 8. The album was announced in June along with its lead single “vampire,” which amassed over 35 million streams within the first week of its release. Spanning 12 tracks, “GUTS” ranges from heartbreaking to reminiscing in a 40-minute emotional rollercoaster.
The album opens with the pop-rock track “all-american bitch,” which delves into the nuances of society’s expectations for an American teenager. Right off the bat, “all-american bitch” starts slow and rapidly progresses into Rodrigo screaming in tune, with the electric guitar instrumental complementing Rodrigo’s screams. The same angst is carried into “bad idea right?” with the instrumentals in the outro seamlessly leading into the second track’s intro. However, the lead single and third track “vampire” contrasts this, with raw vocals and a piano accompaniment emphasizing anger and resentment towards a past relationship.
As the album progresses, touching on envy in “lacy” and social anxiety in “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” the contrasting production and thematic elements enhance Rodrigo’s vocals. This adds unique character to each individual track — while a heavy bass and angsty screaming are featured in “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” “lacy” features delicate vocals accompanied by an acoustic guitar.
Two of the most personal tracks on the album are “making the bed” and “teenage dream.” In “making the bed” — which explores the downsides and draining nature of extreme fame — Rodrigo’s vocals flawlessly convey fear, regret and self-loathing. The final track, “teenage dream,” emphasizes this fear caused by living in the spotlight. With rhetorical questions such as “When am I gonna stop being great for my age and just start being good?” and the repetition of “They all say that it gets better / It gets better the more you grow / Yeah, they all say that it gets better / It gets better, but what if I don’t?” in the track’s outro, Rodrigo encapsulates the fear of being disregarded in the industry as she grows older. Similarly to “making the bed,” “teenage dream” emphasizes Rodrigo’s vocals — however, instead of a guitar, these vocals are accompanied by both a piano and a violin, adding a reminiscent, anxious sensation to the track and further delivering its vulnerable message.
Despite its broad range in themes, one downside to “GUTS” is its overlap with Rodrigo’s record-breaking 2021 debut, “SOUR.” For example, “pretty isn’t pretty” shares similar themes to “jealousy jealousy” and “logical” is comparable “favorite crime.”
However, this overlap in theme emphasizes Rodrigo’s growth as an artist over the past few years — while the themes are alike, the tracks still feel vastly different. A significant part of this is their vocals, lyricism and production, which feel significantly more sophisticated than their supposed counterpart on “SOUR.” Rather than a departure from “SOUR,” “GUTS” is more like an older sibling, sharing similar themes but differentiating itself with its more mature lyricism and cleaner production.
4.5/5
