After hiding herself from the music industry since her debut album in 2021, Olivia Rodrigo marked her return early September with the release of her sophomore album, GUTS. Overall, it was amazing.

Rodrigo released GUTS on September 8, 2023. The album consists of 12 songs over 39 minutes. Before the album was released, there were already high expectations for Rodrigo, as her first album, Sour, performed phenomenally. 

Not only being better than her previous album, GUTS absolutely exceeded expectations and more. It was beautifully written and the chorus and bridge of every song was extraordinary.

The most popular song on the album is “Vampire,” but that could be due to the fact that the song was released as a single well before the album was released. 

Besides the fact it was released earlier as a single, “Vampire” is undoubtedly one of the best songs on the album. It conveys betrayal and heartbreak and Rodrigo’s vocals shined through with this song, she hit every high note effortlessly. 

Though each song carries a ton of emotion and lyrical masterpieces, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the song, “Lacy,” as it’s been known to fans that one of Rodrigo’s biggest inspirations is one of the world’s most successful artists, Taylor Swift. This has led fans to believe that there are hidden messages in her lyrics, just as there are to Swift’s. 

Fans have already made their own theories about each song and who it could be directed towards, who the lyrics are about, and more. The most argued song on the album is “Lacy”. Lots of people think the song was made about Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams or possibly others. 

These various theories of who the song was written towards has caused the controversy around the song. 

Another song that people might have controversial opinions on is “get him back!”. This song has more of a punky and catchy tune to it. The lyrics hold a strong sentiment of revenge and hatred, unlike many of her other songs which tend to convey sappiness. 

While the song is different from her usual style and could be difficult to like at first. After listening to it for a few times it does grow on you, and eventually you will be listening to it every morning just to set the mood. 

Overall, GUTS is an album that sounded like the beginning of the end. Through this and her previous album, Sour, she expressed all her emotions from her teenage years and how she discovered herself. 

Rodrigo’s last song on GUTS is titled “teenage dream”, through her lyrics she sings about how she wishes she had done more in her teenage years. She now has to look ahead to the future and discover who she will become.

Her first song on Sour, “brutal,” includes the lyric: “Where’s my teenage dream?,” asking herself when is it her turn. These two songs wrap up an era of not only Rodrigo’s music, but also her character and who she has made herself out to be. 

Rodrigo is now 20 years old, still discovering a lot about herself through her music and her writing. There will still be high expectations for her songs, but fans must ask themselves: will her future songs be as exceptional as we know and love them?