GUTS May Sound Like SOUR, but What’s the Big Deal?
Image courtesy of Apple Music.
by Jules Hasler
While many anticipated a transition from SOUR to SWEET, Olivia Rodrigo continues to tap into the familiar feelings of angst and self-loathing that every 19-year-old girl knows on her new album, GUTS. Announced on June 26, the album was released this past Friday, September 8. Dropping the lead single “vampire” just a few days after the album’s announcement, any information about the album was relatively minimal throughout July. After a cryptic bird’s-eye-view Instagram video on July 31 showcased Rodrigo in her bedroom, questions were finally answered at the start of August, when fans were able to figure out the tracklist through another video.
The second single, “bad idea right?”, was released on August 11, noted for its glaring account of temptation for the absolute last person you should be seeing. The remaining 10 tracks would have to wait until the official album release, which combined Rodrigo’s growing maturity with a sonic extension of SOUR to present sadness and anger with comical undertones. Rodrigo implements elements of 2000s rock-pop into many of her songs, and the heartbreak anthems heard in her debut album have developed into self-introspective ballads in the sophomore album.
The album flows quite cohesively and solidifies Rodrigo’s sound. Many sound effects and ad-libs play off of each other in this album, adding a light-hearted sense of sarcasm to the entire work; an example being a knock on the door at the end of the first track, “all american bitch,” being followed up with the sound of a door opening at the beginning of track two, “bad idea right?” Even the themes of each song compliment each other. The former cracks open the female rage that emerges from incessant societal expectations of a woman’s attitude, appearance, and overall demeanor. Ending the song with the mantra, “i’m grateful all the time / i’m sexy and i’m kind / i’m pretty when i cry,” I almost imagine this as an act of self-reassurance before visiting the ex described in the latter song. Playful stylistic elements like these are maintained throughout the album, showing themselves in tracks like “get him back!” and “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” the other two songs characterized by ruthless teenage-girl rage.
Some of the more soul-crushing songs look into Rodrigo’s attempt to grapple with turning 20, and what that means for her relationship with herself and others. Lyrics like “i got the things i wanted / it’s just not what i imagined” in track 6, “making the bed,” showcase her own personal guilt she has for literally making her own bed with all the things she wanted, now facing the consequences and having to lie in it. Perfectly fitting into the lives of young women finding themselves, Rodrigo explores how everything she dreamed of quickly became the subjects of her nightmares. The final track, “teenage dream,” leaves less than a sense of emotional closure on the subject, where Rodrigo wonders that “they all say that it gets better / it gets better, but what if i don’t?” The album tackles not only the conclusion of her teenage years but also where she sees the trajectory of her fame and stardom.
While I’ve seen countless reviews of GUTS excitedly raving about the pure anger Rodrigo has derived from life, nearly all of these reviews have a seemingly backhanded mention of its similarity to SOUR. Whether it be discussing cohesive elements like “the purple dominant album cover” or “a [chord] progression I’ve heard many times before,” as well as very pointedly complaining how “as on SOUR, she spends much of GUTS singing about breakups, betrayals, and unfair expectations,” everyone is placing this album in the context of its predecessor. All I have to say is, why does it matter?
The music industry constantly pressures female artists to reinvent themselves to keep cultural tolerance and attention. When they don’t conform, they’re ridiculed. Whether it be new color schemes, sound, or even appearances, critics still find something to pick at. So, why even bother?
Rodrigo has successfully elevated her sound while cultivating an artistic profile consistent with her first album, and people are still blasting the songs on repeat as soon as they drop. Who cares if the two albums are similar? The lead single “vampire” debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with “bad idea right?” doing the same for the Spotify USA Top 50 chart. The combined music videos currently have over 65 million views. Clearly, Rodrigo’s doing something right.
We’re less likely to complain about equivalent male artists repeating sound or aesthetic.. Harry Styles puts on a glittery, mismatched outfit paired with a feather boa virtually every show and fans rave at how he breaks boundaries. In fact, Styles’ consistency for having “groovy, rock-inflected sing-alongs” is arguably what keeps the excitement around his music. He tours for what feels like a thousand years, yet the hype never seems to die down. Without completely rebranding, he has still maintained and expanded his success—Rodrigo follows the exact same formula. Styles just doesn’t get the same glaringly judgemental snide comments that she or countless other female artists do.
I’ll admit, even though I know all the lyrics to “all american bitch,” “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” and “get him back!”, I have already started confusing them for each other. There’s no denying that the heart-wrenching ballads and angsty rock sounds across Rodrigo’s current discography have similarities. However, there is also no denying that whatever she’s doing is clearly working for her.
Maybe we should start putting less pressure on 20-year-old artists to create revolutionary sounds while they’re coping with the stark coming-of-age realities of life, and start dancing around our rooms screaming our songs as I’m sure Olivia would want us to.