Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS

[wavey.]

[korbel16]

she kinda gagged me a bit with the “flowers filled with vitriol” part in the grudge... i’ve never heard that word before 💀 that was a very smart lyric.

[leonagwen]

What other past albums got a 100 metacrytic score?

[Ling-Ling]

Sept 8, 2023 0:37:46 GMT -5 leonagwen said:

What other past albums got a 100 metacrytic score?

She's not gonna stay at 100, lol. That tweet is so disingenuous. I can see her sticking in the 90's or high 80's though.

[Anticonformity]

I'm actually very shook at this album like sour wasn't bad but damn this literally surpasses it!

Already have a top 5 of 5 stars off this one!

Oops!... she did IT

[musiclife]

Does anyone think this an Album Of The Year contender?

[kimberly]

she said "fuck the sophomore slump" and I'm so here for it. I added 9/12 songs to my library on first listen, and the other three could grow on me.

these are my five favorites out of the new songs:

ballad of a homeschooled girl
get him back
pretty isn't pretty
all american bitch
teenage dream

[musiclife]

My little review.

All-American Bitch - I definitely get the Avril vibes from this. I love the slow verses and the hard fast chorus. I think this is beautifully written, and is a great album opener.

Bad Idea Right? - love this since I first heard it. The chorus just hits hard and is such a fun song. Would have I released it as single 2 over 2 or 3 other songs on this album, probably not, but it works as a single.

Vampire - Another song I have loved since it was released. The verses are beautifully written and it's still a great transition from Sour to Guts. It's an ease into an album full of ballads into Guts which is very uptempo seeing as Vampire is a ballad/midtempo/uptempo in one.

Lacy - This is a cute little midtempo ballad. I think it's beautifully written. I don't know who Lacy is, but she must be important. At times Olivia's vocals sound different and very mature here.

Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl - Reminds me of an early 2000s Paramore song. This is definitely a good fun song, and is edgy. Are the lyrics "every guy I like is gay." To Joshua Bassett?

Making The Bed - This one is okay. I have to listen to it more. I feel like it's definitely the weakest ballad on the album, but it has some nicely written lyrics.

Logical - lyrics are beautiful. I think this can grow on me after more listens.

Get Him Back! - This is a smash waiting to happen. I think this song is completely built for a stadium. The entire crowd would scream the chorus. Everyone loves a song about revenge. This definitely needs to be a single.

Love Is Embarassing - This is the best song on the album. Without a doubt a major chart topper waiting to happen. This honestly should have been the first single even if I love Vampire. This is another one that is 100% built for a stadium. The 3rd verse is basically God in a song.

The Grudge- This is the best ballad on the album, and the best vocal. This would have worked as a single had Love Is Embarrassing and Get Him Back! Were the first singles. Her vocals are great here, and the lyrics are the deepest on the album. I can see this as another stadium song if she sits down with just a piano and belts it out. Her vocals have matured so much since Sour.

Pretty Isn't Pretty - A fun midtempo rock song. I think it fits with the theme of the album perfectly, and it's a good listen. This will probably rise up more for me the more I listen.

Teenage Dream - Honest lyrics. The bridge is brilliant and makes the song. I think she got the opening and closing songs for Guts completely right. The big closure to the song really makes this special.

1. Love Is Embarassing
2. Get Him Back!
3. The Grudge
4. Bad Idea Right?
5. Vampire

[Dylan :)]

Controversial opinion but I don’t like her rock or punk songs. Her voice is so screechy. I much prefer her vocals in songs like Happier, Lacy, Vampire, Déjà Vu, Drivers License, etc

[daddy]

This is much too Avril and not enough Lorde/Taylor for my taste. Will give it additional listens but not the direction I was hoping she’d go in (”Drivers License” is one of my all-time favorite songs).

[dbhmr]

Sept 7, 2023 23:58:39 GMT -5 wavey. said:

I feel like every sector of the music industry is dedicated to making her as massively successful as possible and, entirely subjectively, I don’t get it at all.

[Ling-Ling]

Sept 8, 2023 4:07:38 GMT -5 dbhmr said:

I feel like every sector of the music industry is dedicated to making her as massively successful as possible and, entirely subjectively, I don’t get it at all.

We live in a largely starless era, the industry and critics are determined to create one come hell or high water. Which is why this perfectly nice album and charisma-less performer are getting labeled a "masterpiece" and a "rock star" (like come on, lol). Also why beyond average work like Harry's House wins AOTY while he also gets pushed as the next great hope.

All that aside, after a few spins, I do like this more than her debut. Impeccably produced really. Surprised to see people say it doesn't have the highlights of Sour when it clearly has more IMO. I immediately lean towards anything uptempo/midtempo (how is "love is embarrassing" not a single yet). I still find her ballads hit and miss (mostly miss), her affected vocals and melodramatic prose border on parody. I simply can't take songs like "drivers license," "vampire," "the grudge," etc. seriously.

[imbuemyblue]

Sept 8, 2023 7:29:28 GMT -5 Ling-Ling said:

Sept 8, 2023 4:07:38 GMT -5 dbhmr said:

I feel like every sector of the music industry is dedicated to making her as massively successful as possible and, entirely subjectively, I don’t get it at all.

We live in a largely starless era, the industry and critics are determined to create one come hell or high water. Which is why this perfectly nice album and charisma-less performer are getting labeled a "masterpiece" and a "rock star" (like come on, lol).

Or conversely, they could (wait for it) actually be enjoying the music! There are often times where a major star (or entire genres of music) does not click with me, but ultimately I have to shake my head and concede that there is just something there that I don't get. For me this is just about every male music star, so this happens quite a lot hahaha. It's possible critics could have ulterior motives (I know critics of other hurting industries are pressured to prop their worlds up), but when they're pretty much unanimous it's unlikely they're all in cahoots.

As for the album itself, I agree with folks who say it's not as immediately hooky as 'Sour'. I think of the first time I heard 'Traitor' and immediately couldn't continue the album and needed to spin it 2, 3, 4 times in a row, and of course the first three singles were all the same. Nothing has stuck with me quite like that, but growers often become my favorite albums. I thought the critics fawning over 'Folklore' were showing their anti-pop bias and praising a snooze fest and then it became a top five album for me. Time will tell with 'Guts', too.

[Taylor.]

I loved SOUR and really like this on first listen but 100 scores are hilarious. It's not perfect. But whatever, it's nice to see her succeeding.

I do entirely subjectively feel like there's much less hype around this album than SOUR so am curious to see the streaming numbers. She's at least prepared with all physicals available on day one to offset any potential streaming dip.

[👑 Eloquent ™]

I actually think the album is much stronger than the two singles suggested it would be (there were better choices on the album)! Some great stuff here! I feel like the overall momentum of this era is a lot less than her debut, but I still think she will have a big opening week.

[Ling-Ling]

Sept 8, 2023 7:54:40 GMT -5 imbuemyblue said:

Or conversely, they could (wait for it) actually be enjoying the music! There are often times where a major star (or entire genres of music) does not click with me, but ultimately I have to shake my head and concede that there is just something there that I don't get. For me this is just about every male music star, so this happens quite a lot hahaha. It's possible critics could have ulterior motives (I know critics of other hurting industries are pressured to prop their worlds up), but when they're pretty much unanimous it's unlikely they're all in cahoots.

I probably worded that poorly. I don't believe they're in cahoots and I'm not saying they don't enjoy the music. I enjoy quite a bit of the music here. I'm just saying critics sometimes get swept up in who's seen as "the moment" and these reviews are beyond over-the-top and hyperbolic. Olivia is a basic modern day pop star making straight-forward/unchallenging pop music, there isn't anything here I don't "get." Even albums quickly labeled modern day masterpieces by critics like Melodrama, Norman F**king Rockwell, What's Your Pleasure?, etc. didn't get this amount of grace out of the box. It's a tad lopsided/bizarre IMO.

[Taylor.]

Sept 6, 2023 18:32:12 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

She announced a deluxe edition with four extra tracks today. Haven't seen where or when it will be for sale, though? Unless they're streaming only.

A different bonus track is on each of the 4 vinyl variants.

She might not like Taylor anymore but she still learned from her!

[AP]

Sept 8, 2023 8:37:06 GMT -5 Ling-Ling said:

Even albums quickly labeled modern day masterpieces by critics like Melodrama, Norman F**king Rockwell, What's Your Pleasure?, etc. didn't get this amount of grace out of the box. It's a tad lopsided/bizarre IMO.

I mean, it got 5 star reviews from 3 publications that hand out 5 star reviews like candy...the other 3 reviews are largely positive, but more justified. The 98 on metacritic is misleading (I'm not even sure how that was calculated - it should be 92) as there are only 6 reviews logged at this time. It'll probably settle around 85, a smidge higher than Sour.

The same thing happens with Taylor's albums - publicists know which publications are more likely to give a glowing review so they send them advance copies and push them to publish right at midnight, giving an inflated sense of acclaim the day of release. The more reasonable reviews come in the days following.

In all, mainstream music journalism is in the absolute shitter at the moment. The large majority of albums that are even bothered to be reviewed by publications score at least a 70 or higher - unlike film/tv, it's pretty rare for an album to be in the "yellow" on Metacritic and there are typically less than 5 albums a year that end up in the "red."

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

Sept 8, 2023 8:25:53 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

I do entirely subjectively feel like there's much less hype around this album than SOUR so am curious to see the streaming numbers. She's at least prepared with all physicals available on day one to offset any potential streaming dip.

DL was the breakthrough moment and it was important for her, but I feel like g4u really sold the album and did wonders for her career. Maybe I'm wrong, but after deja vu, the interest in her music quite dropped, so I don't really remember the HYPE before SOUR, and then g4u smashed and changed everything.

I'm happy with the GUTS singles so far, but not so much with the timing of their release. IMO: vampire in April, bad idea right? July and then something a week or two before the album, basically what she did with SOUR singles.

[Deleted]

love is embarrassing is such a bop

[SHOOTER]

all-american bitch
bad idea right?
vampire
lacy
ballad of a homeschooled girl
get him back!
love is embarrassing
pretty isn't pretty

An improvement upon her debut for me personally. I hope she leans harder into pop-punk as she gets older because that's where she really shines.

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

I'm listening and it's sounding decent enough but the critical reaction is completely unhinged.

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

Sept 8, 2023 11:35:26 GMT -5 HEADOFTHEPACK said:

I'm listening and it's sounding decent enough but the critical reaction is completely unhinged.

my thought for almost every album in the last 5 years, they all have 90/100 scores.

[Choco]

I've yet to meet someone outside of Twitter that actually cares about a Metacritic score.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Sept 8, 2023 10:40:45 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

Sept 6, 2023 18:32:12 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

She announced a deluxe edition with four extra tracks today. Haven't seen where or when it will be for sale, though? Unless they're streaming only.

A different bonus track is on each of the 4 vinyl variants.

She might not like Taylor anymore but she still learned from her!

I'm guessing this is only for the variants from her website, but I'll find out when my Amazon exclusive Hot Pink variant arrives today.

[Normi]

After the first listen, this is really really good, some instant gold on here imo

bad idea right?
ballad of a homeschooled girl
making the bed
get him back!
love is embarassing (best song here)
pretty isn't pretty

[Mayman]

I haven't been as hyped for this album as I was for SOUR, but I was still looking forward to checking this album. I've listened twice and I think the album is definitely an improvement over her debut. This is her sound and she does it really well, so those people in the Vampire thread who were hounding her over not being original can relax lol.

My favorites right now are:
bad idea right?
vampire
lacy
ballad of a homeschooled girl
making the bed
get him back!
love is embarassing
teenage dream

Everything here is at the very least good so I think this album will be in my rotation for a while.

[J'back]

I also love this.
The Grudge is beautiful, honestly no skips for me from the whole album.

[daddy]

Okay okay I’ve been listening all day and I kind of love it now 💀

[think pink.]

Sept 7, 2023 23:50:31 GMT -5 RoseColoredGirl said:

I don't think I have been this excited about an album in a while. Literally pressed play at 12:00:00, and I listened to "Vampire" and "Bad Idea Right?" starting at 11:53 so that I could listen to the new songs faster lol

Lol this is so cute <3 .