Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS

[MissAmericana]

I was initially very disappointed with this on my first listen but, wow, every song has now grown on me. My current Top 3 is:

1. ballad of a homeschooled girl — This is one is so chaotic and has so many moving parts but it just works, it’s a contender for her best song yet.

2. lacy — I was worried that her ballads on this project would feel very similar to the ones on SOUR but her songwriting has absolutely evolved to the point where I think it was silly that I had my reservations about it. It’s ethereal, simply put. And also this song is totally about drugs, end of discussion.

3. bad idea right? — This is just so fun, I’ll never understand how it wasn’t immediately pushed as the 2nd single (seriously, it’s release was such a mess). I have a feeling that a year or two down the line, it’ll be more fondly remembered than the singles surrounding it, the same way “deja vu” is still all over TikTok.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Welp, either my computer or this website is going bonkers, but I lost my whole write up of the album. I will say that I remain here for Olivia's ballads, with the only exception here being Lacy, which, while pretty, isn't memorable to me. But, other than a few exceptions (Bad Idea, Right, Get Him Back, and Love Is Embarrassing are ace), her ballads are the selling point here. Overall, this is stronger than Sour, from both a songwriting standpoint and a vocal standpoint. Olivia is really coming into her own and saying fuck the sophomore slump. Good for her. First listen:

1. Making The Bed (Song of The Year and Olivia's best.)
2. The Grudge (I REALLY need this girl to stop writing my life story. Oh my days, this one hurts.)
3. Logical (Beautiful and heartbreaking)
4. Vampire (still a star)
5. Bad Idea, Right? (a little bop)
6. Get Him Back (Major swag and needs to be the next single)
7. Love Is Embarrassing (I think this is one is really cool.)
8. Pretty Isn't Pretty
9. Teenage Dream
10. All-American Bitch
11. Lacy
12. Obsessed
13. Ballad of a Homeschool Girl (shrill and annoying. not for me.)

[ampersand]

I prefer the ballads over the rock bangers this time. I think that's when she's really in her element.

[Anticonformity]

This is an almost perfect album (I really really really dislike Lacy, like badly and not a fan of Making The Bed (or the song )
with that said, this was perfect and I love it so much!

Here's my top 5

Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl the HS boy in me feels attacked
Bad Idea Right?
Pretty Isn’t Pretty I also feel called out by these lyrics and damn, what a song
Love Is Embarrassing This was really surprised me, that production is <3 <3 <3
Get Him Back!

[Ivy Leegue™]

We love an almost perfect perfect album!

Meanwhile, Queen Ajay was NOT impressed at all. Though, she only seemed to like BIR and...Lacy, so, it is what it is.

[schnetzka]

Sept 9, 2023 9:41:12 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

We love an almost perfect perfect album!

Meanwhile, Queen Ajay was NOT impressed at all. Though, she only seemed to like BIR and...Lacy, so, it is what it is.

Other than 'Midnights', I cannot think of a single album since she returned where Ajay liked more than a few songs from the album.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Sept 9, 2023 10:26:04 GMT -5 schnetzka said:

Sept 9, 2023 9:41:12 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

We love an almost perfect perfect album!

Meanwhile, Queen Ajay was NOT impressed at all. Though, she only seemed to like BIR and...Lacy, so, it is what it is.

Other than 'Midnights', I cannot think of a single album since she returned where Ajay liked more than a few songs from the album.

Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, no? I really think Lacy has potential because of the ending, but I'mma need Miss Olivia to explain the puff pastry line. Is Lacy's skin delicate and delicious or crumbling due to meth à la The A-Team by Ed Sheeran because those are two wholly different aesthetics. I'mma go with the former here, but still a choice was made the day she crafted that one.

[kimberly]

Sept 9, 2023 10:38:45 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

Sept 9, 2023 10:26:04 GMT -5 schnetzka said:

Other than 'Midnights', I cannot think of a single album since she returned where Ajay liked more than a few songs from the album.

Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, no? I really think Lacy has potential because of the ending, but I'mma need Miss Olivia to explain the puff pastry line. Is Lacy's skin delicate and delicious or crumbling due to meth à la The A-Team by Ed Sheeran because those are two wholly different aesthetics. I'mma go with the former here, but still a choice was made the day she crafted that one.

I took the puff pastry line as the smooth, white, raw version. funny.

[leonagwen]

Sept 8, 2023 13:49:56 GMT -5 Choco said:

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

Let's see your review of GUTS.

[theflying]

I see where Ajay is coming from. That’s kind of my initial impression too (haven’t seen her reaction vid yet though).

Like, I’m really rooting for Olivia, I think she’s super talented, and I loved SOUR.

And I *understand* this album will grow on me.

But I won’t lie, on my initial listen, I was actively starting to get annoyed when a new song would start and I would hear a piano ballad intro. I was just, like, enough already.

The issue with this album is that, the emotions expressed are so vivid and raw and passionate, but I’m not finding the musical expression of these emotions and ideas as capturing all the variety they deserve. It’s been too flatlined into “pop-punk mode” or “piano ballad mode” — it’s literally either that one, or the other one, or TWIST! the song has both modes — and it makes the work seem formulaic and kind of doesn’t do Olivia’s efforts justice in the way it deserves to.

I’m not saying Olivia needed to take musical risks *per se*, but it just leaves me feeling like I literally got the exact record I expected I would get. Down to a tee, down to like every track.

While SOUR wasn’t that much more varied, stuff like “jealousy, jealousy” and “Deja Vu” - a big single - kept it from feeling like everything could either be sorted into piano ballad or pop-punk.

Also, on SOUR, even when Olivia went into ballad mode, there were still guitar ballads AND piano ballads instead of just all piano ballads. “Enough for You” is one of my favorite songs on SOUR (it’s just gorgeous), and “Favorite Crime” is another great one. I feel like Olivia fits guitar-ballads way better than the constant deluge of piano ballads on GUTS.
(Edit: sorry, my bad, “Lacy” is guitar-driven — and it helped it stand out to me on my initial listen; still, my point is that there are just too many piano-ballads here.)

All in all, it’s definitely a quality record, and it will surely resonate with her fans, but it’s all just…a little too expected. I know pop stars (especially females) are under too much pressure to always evolve, and be a “Mirrorball”, but I think the criticism here is warranted.

[kimberly]

there are like maybe 3 ballads on this album

[85la]

Regarding the comments about the Metacritic score possibly being inflated, that's definitely been a common criticism for aggregate ratings sites, not just for music, but for film/tv as well, such as Rotten Tomatoes. The individual publications that release the reviews are often owned by the same multimedia conglomerates that release the products themselves, so they are often under enormous pressure to put out glowing reviews for their products (the aggregate websites themselves might also be pressured and there might be dealings going on to boost the overall ratings themselves, though I'm not as sure about that). Usually this seems to be only the case for major artists though and when the product is already pretty good. The scores are simply just juiced up a little bit. There is no way that an album or movie that is hands down really bad can be faked into a 100% rating.

As for my own opinion of the album, I think it's pretty solid and definitely an improvement upon Sour, most of the tracks of which honestly I was never a huge fan of. I agree that the ballads seem to be where it shines the most, however I'm not so sure any of them would do too well as singles, the obvious choices for which would probably go to the more upbeat rock jams like get him back! and love is embarrassing. Also, I'm surprised no one's mentioned this, but the grudge sounds very similar to drivers license and seems very obviously to me a part 2 of sorts to that (I think I like it even better than drivers license).

My favorites from the album:

all-american bitch
vampire
lacy
logical
get him back
love is embarrassing
the grudge
teenage dream

[theflying]

Sept 9, 2023 22:36:17 GMT -5 kimberly said:

there are like maybe 3 ballads on this album

This reply doesn’t really feel like it’s in good faith.

Lacy, making the bed, logical, the grudge, and teenage dream are all ballads.
Vampire literally has the same piano ballad start and propulsion as any of these.
All American Bitch literally starts off the album by fusing the exact two sounds you get — balladry and punk rock.

There’s plenty of down-tempo stuff here. Certainly not “like maybe 3 ballads”.

[kimberly]

Sept 10, 2023 1:10:28 GMT -5 theflying said:

Sept 9, 2023 22:36:17 GMT -5 kimberly said:

there are like maybe 3 ballads on this album

This reply doesn’t really feel like it’s in good faith.

Lacy, making the bed, logical, the grudge, and teenage dream are all ballads.
Vampire literally has the same piano ballad start and propulsion as any of these.
All American Bitch literally starts off the album by fusing the exact two sounds you get — balladry and punk rock.

There’s plenty of down-tempo stuff here. Certainly not “like maybe 3 ballads”.

teenage dream, vampire and all american bitch are most certainly not "ballads." since when is every song that builds up to a crescendo considered a piano ballad?

"making the bed" is a mid tempo pop song with drums and synths and all. not a piano ballad.

I'll give you lacy, logical and the grudge. those are the three actual ballads of the album, and one of them is not even a piano ballad. so I found your essay about the album "not in good faith" or whatever.

[J'back]

Sept 10, 2023 1:36:18 GMT -5 kimberly said:

Sept 10, 2023 1:10:28 GMT -5 theflying said:

This reply doesn’t really feel like it’s in good faith.

Lacy, making the bed, logical, the grudge, and teenage dream are all ballads.
Vampire literally has the same piano ballad start and propulsion as any of these.
All American Bitch literally starts off the album by fusing the exact two sounds you get — balladry and punk rock.

There’s plenty of down-tempo stuff here. Certainly not “like maybe 3 ballads”.

teenage dream, vampire and all american bitch are most certainly not "ballads." since when is every song that builds up to a crescendo considered a piano ballad?

"making the bed" is a mid tempo pop song with drums and synths and all. not a piano ballad.

I'll give you lacy, logical and the grudge. those are the three actual ballads of the album, and one of them is not even a piano ballad. so I found your essay about the album "not in good faith" or whatever.

Drag it Kim. God I love you.

Honestly the only song I skip (sometimes) is Lacy.

[theflying]

Sept 10, 2023 1:36:18 GMT -5 kimberly said:

Sept 10, 2023 1:10:28 GMT -5 theflying said:

This reply doesn’t really feel like it’s in good faith.

Lacy, making the bed, logical, the grudge, and teenage dream are all ballads.
Vampire literally has the same piano ballad start and propulsion as any of these.
All American Bitch literally starts off the album by fusing the exact two sounds you get — balladry and punk rock.

There’s plenty of down-tempo stuff here. Certainly not “like maybe 3 ballads”.

teenage dream, vampire and all american bitch are most certainly not "ballads." since when is every song that builds up to a crescendo considered a piano ballad?

"making the bed" is a mid tempo pop song with drums and synths and all. not a piano ballad.

I'll give you lacy, logical and the grudge. those are the three actual ballads of the album, and one of them is not even a piano ballad. so I found your essay about the album "not in good faith" or whatever.

I’m sorry, did I piss in your cornflakes?

I literally said I really like Olivia, and that I loved Sour. I had a reaction of an *initial listen* that mirrored the reaction of another very popular initial listen, and said it would grow on me, but that I found the album’s sonic-scape felt too reductionist into This Sound or That Sound, and that it all just felt incredibly Expected, which dims my enthusiasm.

We’re literally posting impressions of an album that just came out on a forum. Kindly bug off if you have an issue with me sharing mine.

You know what also makes something considered a ballad? A general *vibe* of something sounding slow. And my *subjective* opinion is the *vibe* of a lot of songs was slow, and felt same-y.

I literally do not care about what you consider a “ballad” as a qualifier of my OWN feelings about MY listen. So, if you’d love to keep “Well, actually”-ing me, feel free to throw in some actual articles about tempo and balladry, so that we — who obviously have *never* listened to music before — may be as enlightened as you as to what a ballad is.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Speaking of pissing, let's not let this thread devolve into a pissing contest, mmkay? Thanks.

This album continues to grow on me the more I listen to it. Still not fully onboard with Social Suic*de song, but overall, I stand by Guts being a stronger album just because the highs are astronomical.

[kimberly]

I'm not dealing with... whatever that unhinged post is.

in other news:

[Mayman]

I really like just about every track (not understanding the not so good reception of Lacy, that's one of my favorites!) besides maybe Logical I'll need more time with.

[kimberly]

Guts World Tour with dates in USA, Canada, Europe & Asia to be announced soon, allegedly.

[Au$tin]

Just did my first listen through, and really "lacy"* and "teenage dream" are the only two that didn't really click. The rest of the album has a lot to offer, though! Highlights on the first playthrough were "all-american bitch," "bad idea right?," "making the bed," "get him back!," and "love is embarrassing." I can't wait to digest this album more because I believe, as a whole, it's stronger than SOUR, which is fucking awesome since "vampire" kinda worried me that it would wind up falling a bit flat, but damn this is good.

*Totally hear the Lorde comparisons here, but IMO she doesn't do the Lorde thing all that well. She's so much better in the Taylor Swift and Paramore lanes. I love that the album went more in that direction and added some more unique flare. While the T-Swift and Paramore influences are still strongly there, I feel like this album builds more of a personality for Olivia than SOUR does. Finally we're starting to get a true Olivia Rodrigo sound that isn't just "hey that sounds like a track by so-and-so," and I am absolutely here for what she has to offer.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Honestly, I will NEVER get over Vampire. Olivia (and her mother Taylor) REALLY have a knack of writing songs that tell my story directly. Vampire, The Grudge, Making The Bed (take away the part about fame, but still applies), and Logical speak to me in ways that nothing else on the album ever will. Doesn't mean the other songs aren't fun and cute and punky and whatever, but they don't hold the same power over me as the aforementioned songs. The beauty of subjectivity is that other people will say the shrieky, angsty songs speak to THEM, but I don't have THAT kind of angst (and never did when I was in high school, for the record, which seems to be Olivia's target audience for the more aggressive songs.) Basically, Olivia hits all the bases and has something for everyone, which is why I really appreciate her.

[ampersand]

"logic" is my life. How did the good sis do me in like this at 20? I'm almost a decade older than her. 💀

The album is really strong overall. She's got the teeth of Liz Phair and Alanis coupled with some of the lyrical idiosyncrasy that made Tori Amos a great writer.

[kimberly]

Sept 11, 2023 15:09:43 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

(take away the part about fame)

naw, you're a pulse music board icon. show these bloodsucking fame fuckers default avi users in the Hot 100 threads who's the boss.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Sept 11, 2023 15:19:24 GMT -5 kimberly said:

Sept 11, 2023 15:09:43 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

(take away the part about fame)

naw, you're a pulse music board icon. show these bloodsucking fame fuckers default avi users in the Hot 100 threads who's the boss.

LMFAO! Thanks for reminding me to go check on the Kiddie Pool!

[Ling-Ling]

Sept 11, 2023 15:09:43 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

Honestly, I will NEVER get over Vampire. Olivia (and her mother Taylor) REALLY have a knack of writing songs that tell my story directly. Vampire, The Grudge, Making The Bed (take away the part about fame, but still applies), and Logical speak to me in ways that nothing else on the album ever will. Doesn't mean the other songs aren't fun and cute and punky and whatever, but they don't hold the same power over me as the aforementioned songs. The beauty of subjectivity is that other people will say the shrieky, angsty songs speak to THEM, but I don't have THAT kind of angst (and never did when I was in high school, for the record, which seems to be Olivia's target audience for the more aggressive songs.) Basically, Olivia hits all the bases and has something for everyone, which is why I really appreciate her.

I'm the exact opposite, I think her ballads are so much more angsty/teeny/whiney than her uptempos. Her ballads take the smallest of emotional slights and make them sound like the most melodramatic, over-the-top issues to ever happen to anyone. Which makes sense given her age, when you're a teenager and emotions are at a high and damn near everything is devastating. But it's exactly why I can't get into them, it's a POV I grew out of decades ago (even if I can totally understand the sentiment/musicality behind it). Her uptempos are definitely angsty as well, but at least they have some pep and a sense of humor most of the time.

[kimberly]

Sept 11, 2023 16:33:47 GMT -5 Ling-Ling said:

I'm the exact opposite, I think her ballads are so much more angsty/teeny/whiney than her uptempos. Her ballads take the smallest of emotional slights and make them sound like the most melodramatic, over-the-top issues to ever happen to anyone. Which makes sense given her age, when you're a teenager and emotions are at a high and damn near everything is devastating. But it's exactly why I can't get into them, it's a POV I grew out of decades ago (even if I can totally understand the sentiment/musicality behind it). Her uptempos are definitely angsty as well, but at least they have some pep and a sense of humor most of the time.

very well put. 

her ballads (and I mean the ballads) can be filled with cliches and exaggerations that make them less appealing to me. "logical" is easily my least favorite on the album because of that, sounds like an AI could have come up with some of those lyrics. Julia Michaels has not written a good song in an awfully long time. a waste of a co-write.

I guess her uptempos can also have some cliches, but at least I can bop to them and they usually have some more self-awareness.

I also don't find her voice interesting enough for some of the slower songs. she's a good vocalist, much better than most artists are at 20, and she's improving, but she doesn't have the chops for some more advanced vocal acrobatics that can elevate ballads for me.

[Ling-Ling]

Sept 11, 2023 16:55:27 GMT -5 kimberly said:

I also don't find her voice interesting enough for some of the slower songs. she's a good vocalist, much better than most artists are at 20, and she's improving, but she doesn't have the chops for some more advanced vocal acrobatics that can elevate ballads for me.

You do raise a point there. Because as a Lana Del Rey stan, I feel weird ragging on anyone for being melodramatic (and Lorde literally released an album called Melodrama, lol). But they sound so much more mature and can sell those kinds of songs. That kind of songwriting is less effective (for me) coming out of someone that sounds like a teenager. Which is another reason she shines in her bratty uptempo mode, because it simply suits her vocals better. I'm sure as she gets older and her voice matures, it'll be less jarring for me. But you mention "logical" and yeah, from the opening lyric I was rolling my eyes. I'm just picturing this over-the-top song being about some dude she dated for two weeks during her junior year of high school and it's not clicking. If it was from a more capable vocalist, the dramatics probably wouldn't even phase me and the song would feel more universal.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Sept 11, 2023 16:33:47 GMT -5 Ling-Ling said:

I'm the exact opposite, I think her ballads are so much more angsty/teeny/whiney than her uptempos. Her ballads take the smallest of emotional slights and make them sound like the most melodramatic, over-the-top issues to ever happen to anyone. Which makes sense given her age, when you're a teenager and emotions are at a high and damn near everything is devastating. But it's exactly why I can't get into them, it's a POV I grew out of decades ago (even if I can totally understand the sentiment/musicality behind it).

But damn, did you have to drag me to hell and back like this?? As someone who operates pretty much 85% on feelings, Olivia sees me and meets me exactly where I'm at. For me, it's not like one thing pushes me over the edge, though. It's looking back on past, toxic friendships (not relationships, because I don't have those) with years of emotions attached and just feeling the sense of profound devastation that Olivia captures. Whether or not I feel the situations that cause her to write her melodramatic songs are minute, they still somehow apply to situations in my life. But, while we are here, I don't remember Lorde getting this criticism and I don't assign any more weight to the way she agonized over things that happened to her than I do to Olivia. At the end of the day, I think people feel things differently and some people just really sit with hurt and let it affect them tragically. It sucks, honestly.

Edit: I just saw your mention of Melodrama after I posted this, LOL. But, Lorde literally had what sounded like schoolchildren shrieking in the background in a song called..Hard Feelings. I personally don't find Lorde's lyrics or emotions any more mature than Olivia, even though she is older, but we can agree to disagree here.

Edit x2: Pitchfork gave this an 8.0. Even though I hate them, I still hate-view, fully expecting to be out of alignment, so I am always pleased when that is not the case.

[Ling-Ling]

Sept 11, 2023 19:29:07 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

Sept 11, 2023 16:33:47 GMT -5 Ling-Ling said:

I'm the exact opposite, I think her ballads are so much more angsty/teeny/whiney than her uptempos. Her ballads take the smallest of emotional slights and make them sound like the most melodramatic, over-the-top issues to ever happen to anyone. Which makes sense given her age, when you're a teenager and emotions are at a high and damn near everything is devastating. But it's exactly why I can't get into them, it's a POV I grew out of decades ago (even if I can totally understand the sentiment/musicality behind it).

But damn, did you have to drag me to hell and back like this?? As someone who operates pretty much 85% on feelings, Olivia sees me and meets me exactly where I'm at.

Haha! Never you babe. I admittedly am pretty unemotional (an Aquarius and an INTP... we're talking cyborg here). But I'm always here for some drama (i.e gay), she just doesn't speak to me yet in terms of her more balladic side. I'll probably appreciate her more when she's matured vocally and sonically. Lorde and Lana came out of the box sounding like 50 year old women who had been through some sh*t, so it never threw me off like it does with her.