On September 8, 2023, Olivia Rodrigo dropped her second album, GUTS, which shot to the top of the charts, surpassing even her first album, SOUR. When asked in an Apple Music Interview why she chose the name “Guts” for her album, she said, “I just think it’s an interesting word. People use it in so many interesting contexts, like ‘Spill your guts’. ‘Hate your guts.’ It means bravery, but it also means intuition, like listen to your gut.” So, what did we think about the album?
Personally, we had mixed opinions. Kailyn listened to the album as soon as it came out, but thought that only some of the songs were good. She liked the songs that were more like ballads but found the louder, rougher songs harder to listen to. But she appreciates how the album conveys real emotions and is relatable to teenagers as well as the younger generation of people who are trying to discover themselves as they grow up. Kavya, on the other hand, had to force herself to listen to the album. She thought that Olivia Rodrigo was a vibe in 2020 when we were isolated and alone during the pandemic, but now that life has returned to normalcy in 2023, she just couldn’t bring herself to listen to sad, depressing songs. But, after listening to a couple of hits recommended by her avid Olivia Rodrigo friends, her perspective changed. She guesses that, after all, the new album wasn’t a bad idea, right?
Well, we interviewed some THS students to see their thoughts on the new album.
Davin Shin (Sophomore)
For me at least, I don’t really like the new album, GUTS. I listened to like three songs from it and I just think SOUR was better when comparing the two albums.
Sachin Durgam (Junior)
I love how this album feels like ’90s punk rock. While SOUR was more ballads, I find that GUTS complements it really nicely and they mesh perfectly together. Right now, my favorite songs from GUTS are “the ballad of a homeschool girl” and “Grudge.” I especially like “Grudge” because it reminds me of the horror movie.
Anoushka Chakrabarti (Junior)
So, my first reaction to GUTS was “Okay, I love this album!” Usually, it takes me a while to come around to albums, but for this, I instantly fell in love and it’s the only thing I’ve listened to since it came out. Not exaggerating, but this album is a 10/10 and there is literally not a single song I dislike!
Here’s proof of my recently played: it’s 100% GUTS!
My favorite song is “making the bed” just because it’s so relatable. I think Olivia always does well with connecting to her audience, which is a criticism many people have about artists who just have an obscure background song. All of her songs are so important to the people who relate to it; GUTS is just so teenage girl, and sometimes we need that more than we need deep meaning in music because it is deep in its own way!
Sarah Fink (Senior)
I think the new album is amazing! I like how it’s not just about the emotions of going through a breakup but rather about being a teenage girl. I also love how this album is so original, since it’s a mix of genres ranging from romantic to revenge songs.
Kelsey Goldman (Senior)
I really love this album! My favorite songs would have to be “Logical” and “Grudge” because I love the lyrics and the beat. You can feel the amount of emotion she puts into each song when you listen to her, and I think she is just so talented. It’s also crazy how young she is because I am almost her age and she is already so successful.
Overall, the consensus seems to be that this new album was a fan favorite in Tenafly. That isn’t to say though, that some people had their initial hesitancy to listen to the album or even maintained mixed feelings after listening to all the songs. What do you think: was this album up to par with SOUR or was it a disappointment?
