Three years after her debut album Sour, Olivia Rodrigo announced her sophomore album titled Guts, which was released on the 8th of August. Guts is composed of twelve songs written by Rodrigo and co-writer Dan Nigro, who produced this album, as well as Sour.
The album starts off with rock song “all-american *****”, differing from her usual pop genre. This new style of music is continued throughout the rest of the tracks with “bad idea right?”, “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” and “get him back!” Her change from pop to rock illustrates her growth as a musician as she becomes an adult. Much of Sour displayed her teenage years following her break-up with fellow actor and musician Joshua Bassett, as it contained topics like betrayal and heartbreak.
This new album shares the more social aspects of her life focussing more on friendship and mental health instead of heartbreak. In some songs she dives into the feeling of not being wanted or needed as much as she used to be and how it has affected her as she transitions into a new phase of her life. Track #6, titled “making the bed,” highlights both of these topics as she sings about her struggles with not being able to find real friends in the music industry and how she can feel as though she doesn’t hold as much importance or significance as everyone around her.
Rodrigo wraps up the album with a few tracks about insecurities and her realization that she will only ever get older and keep growing as an artist and as a person. The album as a whole is a good representation of her current growth, however it lacks the pop elements that made Sour as popular as it was.
Hopefully, we will continue to see Rodrigo share more of her stories and grow as an artist in future projects, whether that will be singles, EPs, or albums.