Back in May of 2021, Olivia Rodrigo released her debut album SOUR to the rest of the world. Now, about two years later, she has made way for her newest addition, GUTS. Olivia’s new album focuses a little more on toxic relationships, self-doubting, as well as betrayal, and regret than she gave us with SOUR. When compared to Olivia’s debut album, GUTS acts as a more mature version of SOUR with a new level of intense emotions we see from Olivia Rodrigo. Other than the normal toxic relationships, Olivia expands more into her self-doubt as well as her soul searching which is something that almost all teens in high school go through.
The transition from GUTS to SOUR can be seen in not only Olivia but in the way her music sounds as well. In her first album, SOUR is seen as the type of album that you would dance to–and cry to–in your bedroom. It focuses more on failed romance, heartache, and adolescence which isn’t the same for GUTS. The entirety of the album has changed as Olivia started growing up during the two years she worked on it. GUTS is more of an alternative/indie album and the songs are more mature than SOUR’s. “I think GUTS is a 10 out of 10. It’s just wonderful,” says sophomore Avery Lis who enjoys Olivia’s album as a whole.
Surprisingly enough, this album does have contradictions. A few students at Wauconda High School think that Olivia’s change into a new genre for GUTS ruined the way they feel about her music. Abbas Hussain, a sophomore at WHS, claims that “some of Olivia’s songs are really good” but, when compared to SOUR, Abbas shares that “the other songs sound like sad girl core and it’s just repetitive.” He isn’t the only person who feels this way about Rodrigo’s new album because several other students agree. “I like SOUR better, but at least she’s expanding her genre” explains freshman Syd Laureys when asked about the genre change. Even though several people seem to prefer Rodrigo’s debut album, GUTS is still just as popular and relatable as the first.
The two years that it took Olivia to write GUTS did not disappoint many of her fans. Due to the fact that Rodrigo hadn’t released anything for so long, several of her biggest supporters were glad to see that she let out a new album, no matter how it sounded or felt. Sophomores Lea Doroba and Eva Martin explain how GUTS “tells a very emotional story” throughout the entire album and agree that they like how it’s so passionate.
