photo courtesy of @oliviarodrigo on Instagram
BY MEGHAN BAEHL, OPINION EDITOR & JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
Your favorite 20-year-old teenager is back and this time she is seriously reviewing music. Move aside Joseph DeBell, there’s a new sheriff in town and she has seniority (she also called dibs on writing this review). For those who don’t know (now you know), Olivia Rodrigo dropped her sophomore album “GUTS” on September 8.
Her freshman album “SOUR” dropped when I was still an actual teenager and not just playing one on television. The “GUTS” album has 12 tracks with highlights being “making the bed”, “love is embarrassing” and of course “bad idea right?”. I can only describe “GUTS” as if Avril Lavigne and Paramore had a love child and then stomped on its heart which subsequently made it both more bitchy and sad.
In a lot of her songs on this album, she definitely is feeding into music that can be used for cinema or television. She uses quick, catchy beats with memorable and easy-to-learn lyrics. My only critique, because I genuinely had a good time listening to this album, is that while her lyrics have matured a bit her music as a whole still seems a little juvenile. Maybe it’s because I’m no longer a teenager, but I found myself feeling a tiny bit old for Rodrigo. That is not to say that her music isn’t for everyone, but some people tend to balk at “angry girl music.”
I think the most important thing to note is that you should try to not compare “SOUR” and “GUTS” too much. I know it is difficult, but they are two entirely different albums. I have been seeing a lot of the TikToks that have been surfacing saying that they don’t like the order of the tracklist. I have one suggestion for those people… shuffle. You read me correctly, just shuffle “GUTS” and you might like it more.
Now, because I am nice, here are some lasting thoughts, courtesy of DeBell.
It’s better than “Sour.” She beat the sophomore slump allegations. I’ve been seeing more and more opinions about how the lyrics in this album are cringe. That is not entirely true. They are grating in a fun, honest and self-aware way. Not saying that self-awareness alone makes you cringe-immune but Rodrigo wears her awkwardness on her sleeve. It comes across as self-accepting, which is endearing. It redefines it and makes the overall impact of cringe non-existent.
So there you have it folks. Two solid reviews from two solid music reviewers. You are so welcome.
baehlma21@bonaventure.edu
debelljb22@bonaventure.edu
