GUTS is 12 tracks and 39 minutes of Olivia Rodrigo working out what happens after the record that made her famous. Where SOUR was raw and caught listeners off guard, GUTS is sharper and angrier on purpose — the songs move faster and hit harder because Rodrigo built them that way. It moves fast between pop-punk snarl and quiet confession, and it rarely misses.
all-american bitch to ballad of a homeschooled girl
The record opens on “all-american bitch,” a song that starts soft and breaks open into something close to a scream. It sets the pattern for the album: Rodrigo baiting expectation, then pushing past it. “bad idea right?” and “vampire” keep that pace going. “vampire” is the main track and lead single, a slow-build put-down that critics singled out for good reason — it earns its climax instead of rushing to it.
“lacy” slows things down without losing its pull. It’s one of the tracks singled out for praise, a study in jealousy dressed as admiration. “ballad of a homeschooled girl” closes this stretch with awkward, specific comedy about not fitting in, a theme Rodrigo returns to across the record.
logical and get him back!
“making the bed” is a quieter, plainer track, less showy than what surrounds it, but it holds the album’s middle stretch together. Then comes the pairing of “logical” and “get him back!” — both named among the record’s best. “logical” is plain-spoken and hard to hear, Rodrigo picking apart her own bad reasoning in a relationship. “get him back!” turns that mood into something loud and playful, rapping and singing in the same breath about wanting revenge and wanting someone back at once.
“Her excellent new Guts is another instant classic, with her most ambitious, intimate, and messy songs yet.” — Rolling Stone
love is embarrassing, the grudge, pretty isn’t pretty
The back stretch of GUTS has no weak song, but it does slow down. “love is embarrassing” is short and blunt. “the grudge” is the album’s most stripped-down ballad, built for the big final chorus Rodrigo is known for. “pretty isn’t pretty” turns its title into a plain argument about beauty standards, no metaphor needed.
None of these three reach for a single, and none needs to.
teenage dream
The album closes with “teenage dream,” and it’s the smartest choice in the running order. Rodrigo, 20 when the record came out, sings about the fear of being used up before her twenties are done — a joke that isn’t really a joke. It’s the most direct song about fame on the album, and it’s been named alongside the record’s best work.
Across the full track list, a few songs work as both single and mission statement:
- “vampire” — the lead track, slow-build to put-down
- “lacy” — jealousy as close study
- “logical” — plain-spoken self-accounting
- “get him back!” — loud and playful
- “all-american bitch” — the album’s mission statement in miniature
- “teenage dream” — the closing word on fame and age
The Second Album Problem
GUTS doesn’t sound like a record trying to prove anything, even though it has plenty to prove. Rodrigo already had the writing instincts on her first record; what’s new here is the will to be messy and loud about it. Pitchfork called it “biting” and said she “rocks out” on the record. AllMusic said it’s “emphatic proof that Rodrigo isn’t just good for a kid.” Both are fair, and neither goes too far.
Some critics have noted that a few songs, mostly in the album’s middle stretch, sound like rejects from her debut. That is the one complaint that has stuck.
It doesn’t change the result. GUTS is confident, funny, and specific in a way most pop records aren’t willing to be. It knows exactly what it wants to say and says it fast, then moves on.
91 out of 100, in line with its Metacritic score.
- all‐american bitch2:46
- bad idea right?3:05
- vampire3:40
- lacy2:57
- ballad of a homeschooled girl3:23
- making the bed3:19
- logical3:52
- get him back!3:31
- love is embarrassing2:35
- the grudge3:09
- pretty isn’t pretty3:19
- teenage dream3:42
