From the second it was announced she would be releasing her own music, Disney-actress-turned-pop star Olivia Rodrigo has become wildly successful. Her first single, drivers license, went viral almost immediately, and the hype didn’t dwindle following the release of her debut album, SOUR. Two years later, Olivia Rodrigo has returned with yet another record for the hopeless romantics, the heartbroken, and the bitter. Her sophomore album ‘GUTS,’ like  her debut album, serves up a potent helping of pop punk anthems and heart-wrenching ballads, certain to please. 

Highlights of the album include the track “bad idea right?” a pop punk rager with significantly more talking than singing. Rodrigo reflects on the idea of potentially reconnecting with an ex of hers and claims she merely “Just tripped and fell into his bed.”

Another one of the pop-punk songs on this album, ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’ is a more unserious song about how socially inadequate Rodrigo feels, with relatable one-liners like “Each time I step outside, it’s social suicide”, questionable lines like “Every guy I like is gay”, and more silly lines like “I can’t think of a third line, la-la-la-la-la-la”.

Differing from the previously mentioned energetic tracks, ‘logical’ is an angsty-but-candid piano ballad about a relationship with a manipulative lover The track sees Rodrigo putting her vocal expressivity on full display, like an Adele song topped with a pinch of adolescent rage.

In spite of a few high points, however, GUTS was unsuccessful in winning me over. Olivia Rodrigo is an incredibly talented vocalist and this album exemplifies that. Unfortunately, it feels as though she is being held back by the kind of music she makes. Soundwise, this album does not sound particularly outstanding nor does it offer anything new. Moreover, Rodrigo has not shown much growth in her lyricism, arguably prioritizing TikTok meme-ability over actual musical impact

Despite this, I believe that teenagers need artists like Olivia Rodrigo. Very few artists today offer up an unpretentious, authentically teenage musical experience quite like she does.. I am not the biggest fan of Rodrigo’s discography, nor do I feel strongly about this album, but I believe it is fine for artists to make music for the sake of having fun– in fact, I’d say it should be encouraged.

Featured image from “Guts” – Olivia Rodrigo on Spotify.