Olivia Rodrigo is without a doubt one of the most influential figures of Generation Z; whether acting or making music, Rodrigo always emphasizes a different perspective. Rodrigo made her musical debut in 2021 with her first studio album Sour and gained recognition for her leading roles on Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. On September 8, Rodrigo released her second studio album, Guts. 

With angsty 90s pop influences, Guts pulls from several historically male-dominated genres—pop-punk, emo, alt-rock—and changes the perspective to a teenage girl. Many listeners stated that the album was different from her first.  Josie Go ‘27 commented, “It’s actually good, it’s just a different vibe from Sour.” Yara Kaafarani ‘27 agreed, and noted, “It’s very different from her first album and is definitely a lot more angsty than Sour.” While the most popular song by far was “get him back!” I think listeners would enjoy listening to “ballad of a homeschooled girl.” A common response was a love for the reintroduction of 90’s grunge punk into today’s mainstream music. Between the lyricism and her attitude, Rodrigo does not hold back or take herself too seriously. 

In many of the songs on the album, Rodrigo works to build up young women while creating music that appeals to and relates to them. Rodrigo uses her unique perspective, puts it into words, and sets it to music. The maturity and growth from her last album are written in the lyrics of all of the songs on this album from the powerful lyrics of “bad idea right?” to the delicate ones of “pretty isn’t pretty.”Although a different vibe from Sour, Guts showcases Rodrigo’s lyrical and musical growth and helps to shed light on an often overlooked view of the genres it lives in.