by Addison Maley
Editor-in-Chief
The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.
Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS, was an immediate success on its Sept. 8 release, debuting atop the Billboard 200. Exploring themes of womanhood, societal expectations and heartbreak, Rodrigo takes on a new rock persona.
Filled with pop-punk influences, loud vocals and grating screams, GUTS is a sharp contrast to Rodrigo’s first album, SOUR. While SOUR had an air of adolescence surrounding heartache, GUTS is a far more mature take on heartbreak and discontent.
The first track on the album, “All-American B---” sets the tone for the record, showcasing her award-winning lyricism alongside a new riot grrrl intensity. Riot grrrl is a subculture that combines the sound of punk with feminism and politics, allowing female musicians to express generally “socially unacceptable” emotion. “All-American B---” details Rodrigo’s struggles fitting in as an American woman, while empowering herself through the bridge.
Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, a punk band that has been at the forefront of riot grrrl for over 30 years, serves as a major inspiration to the artist. In a phone interview with the New York Times, Hanna reveals the adoration goes both ways. “To be my age and cry at something that someone so young wrote… she’s a revelation.”
Despite high accolades, GUTS’ new sound is divisive. Zach Saiyoeun (11) says, “at first it wasn’t my cup of tea, but the more I listen to it the more I actually like the songs,” the biggest catch being that “on some songs she tries too hard to be 2000’s pop-rock… she does like 80% talking [rather] than singing.”
Noha Abu (12) has “been a fan of [Rodrigo’s] forever,” and found GUTS to be “a very good album about being a teenager.” She was happy to hear a more pop-punk style from Rodrigo, and especially appreciated the relatable nature of the songs.
One of her favorite songs, “Teenage dream,” expresses anxiety about maturing and changing. She finds this especially relatable and even “very sad in the sense that it’s my senior year and it’s about growing up.”
This interpretation was exactly Rodrigo’s goal with the album, sharing on Apple Music 1’s New Music Daily that “a lot of this album is about… figuring out who you want to be and who you want to hang out with… I think that’s probably an experience that everyone has had in their life before.”
Rodrigo’s new sound and emotional lyrics will soon be heard live across the globe as part of her GUTS world tour. Kicking off in Palm Springs, CA on Feb. 23, she will be headlining at Columbus’ Nationwide Arena on March 22.
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