Olivia Rodrigo - Guts

  by Zena Grieg

published: 5 / 12 / 2023

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'Guts', the new album by former Disney child star Olivia Rodrigo has just been released. More expansive than her 2021 record-breaking debut ‘Sour’, which saw her become the best-selling singles artist in the world, ‘Guts’ is a mix of punk-pop with slower, reflective tracks, spiced with an acerbic sense of humour. Described by Rodrigo as a ‘coming-of-age’ record – “I feel like I grew ten years between 18 and 20”, this new album explores themes of love with all its challenges, the oppressiveness of societal norms, fantasies of revenge and the all-pervasiveness of social media. Songs to listen out for in this twelve-track collection include: the snarling opener ‘all-american bitch’ (from Joan Didion ‘The White Album’) with its juxtaposition of soft folk erupting into pop-punk and its caustic debunking of the myth of archetypal femininity and the impossible expectations young girls growing up face to be both sexy and virginal, selfless and ambitious: “I am light as a feather, stiff as a board/…I’m grateful all the time/I’m sexy, and I’m kind/I’m pretty when I cry”; the signature innovative lead single, angst-driven ‘Vampire’ about an older man who would leech off her and “sell…. for parts”, opening with striking Gothic piano chords before the song escalates into a full-on rock number; the raucous ‘Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl’ with its self-mocking lines: “Everything I do is tragic/Every guy I like is gay”; the confessional ‘Making the Bed’ about the pitfalls of stardom: ”…every night I wake up from this one recurring dream/I’m drivin’ through the city and the brakes go out on me/… I tell someone I love them just as a distraction/They tell me that they love me like I’m some tourist attraction”; the poignant, powerful ‘Logical’ on manipulation and betrayal; the minimalist, emotive piano ballad ‘Grudge’; plus ‘Pretty Isn’t Pretty’, confronting body dysmorphia and the relentless beauty norms facing celebrities; and the closer, the thoughtful ‘Teenage Dreams’: “…you’re only 19/ But I fear they already got the best parts of me”, which cascades into a cinematic conclusion. Self-analytical, versatile, with an impressive emotional command, ‘Guts’ is a refreshing, engaging record, bound to appeal to loyal fans and new.

Track Listing:-

1 all-american bitch
2 bad idea right?
3 vampire
4 lacy
5 ballad of a homeschooled girl
6 making the bed
7 logical
8 get him back!
9 love is embarrassing
10 the grudge
11 pretty isn’t pretty
12 teenage dream

Band Links:-

https://www.oliviarodrigo.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OliviaRodrigoOfficial/
https://twitter.com/oliviarodrigo

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