Olivia Rodrigo – Guts

Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS is the 2023 second album that arrived after Sour turned her into a chart-dominating pop star and triple Grammy winner. Rather than stepping away from that pressure, Rodrigo folds it into the record itself: these songs deal with fame, self-doubt and messy young adulthood while keeping the directness that made her debut connect so widely.

Led by the single vampire, GUTS pushes further into indie-influenced power ballads and punchier pop-rock. The source material points to the album’s cathartic streak, and that fits songs like bad idea right? and making the bed, where sharp humour and self-examination sit side by side. It is a confident follow-up rather than a reset, with Rodrigo leaning into tension, embarrassment and frustration instead of smoothing them out.

Useful context here is that Rodrigo made the album again with producer Daniel Nigro, the key collaborator behind Sour. Critics picked up on how well that partnership balances big hooks with bite: reviews noted the album’s tougher sound, sharp portraiture and charismatic edge. If Sour introduced Rodrigo as a major new voice, GUTS shows how quickly she learned to turn sudden superstardom into material with more sting and more range.

Reviews

• turning the ritual humiliations of girlhood into dazzling, over-the-top spectacles. – Pitchfork
• the tougher-sounding followup remains full of sharp portraiture and withering put-downs – The Guardian

Genre: Pop & Rock

Review