The sophomore slump is something that can ruin any star’s momentum. For many, a second album comes too fast; forced by their label to try and capitalise on their initial success but instead simply burning out. Others take too long; releasing something too similar to their original sound that shows almost zero growth despite a long wait. For an artist like Olivia Rodrigo, whose debut record was released to unprecedented success, the risk of their sophomore record being a disappointment is increased tenfold. Thankfully, lightning can strike twice. With her most recent release, Rodrigo proves her initial success was not a fluke. 

On SOUR, Rodrigo was inspired by the stars who soundtracked her youth. She delved into extreme vulnerability, writing about her own experiences in the same way her idols Lorde and Taylor Swift did. While the emotions of teenage girls are often the source of ridicule, in recent years they have commanded more respect. Rodrigo’s emergence came alongside this newfound acclaim for teenagers and their feelings. Songs like ‘traitor’ and ‘hope ur ok’ would have been subject to very different reception in the late 00s and early 10s. Her debut record and its countless hits were taken as seriously as they deserved to be. As a result, Rodrigo’s second record doesn’t sound like a reaction to negativity. She, unlike her predecessors, is not being forced to prove herself or to have her “grown-up” moment. Instead, GUTS is an artist developing her sound, taking what worked best on her debut and turning it up to an eleven. 

Across GUTS, the most successful sonic elements of SOUR are given more depth. The songs sound bigger and are delivered with more confidence. Her sound leans more towards Avril Lavigne than the softer, ballad-heavy landscape of her debut, dominated by the pop-punk sensibilities that made ‘good 4 u’ such a standout. Lead single ‘vampire’ is built on the bones of ‘driver’s license’, starting slow and exploding into a crush of drums and name-calling. On ‘all-american bitch’, Rodrigo contrasts plucking, folksy guitars with raging, crushing riffs as she screams out her frustrations: “I know my age and I act like it”. Album standout ‘get him back!’ opens with producer Alexander 23 asking “Wait, is this the song with the drums?” before Rodrigo dresses down an ex over stumbling percussion: “He said he’s 6’2, and I’m like ’Dude, nice try’”.

Though her relationship with Taylor Swift may or may not be more contentious than it was when SOUR was released, Rodrigo’s songwriting continues to betray her infatuation. The parallels are unavoidable, right down to the album’s theme of spilling your guts (anyone heard of a little album called Speak Now?). While many have tried to replicate Swift’s ability to be vulnerable, Rodrigo is the first to truly understand what set her apart and employ it in her own music. Whether it’s the fear of our actions on a night out on ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’ or the frustration of being in between adolescence and adulthood on ‘teenage dream’, Rodrigo knows that music is most successful when it’s genuine. Her ability to play to the zeitgeist, balancing perfectly between original and mainstream is uncannily Swiftian. 

However, Rodrigo also understands that time has passed. While Swift’s teenage musings were filled with hope and romanticism, Rodrigo’s are full of angst and dripping with sarcasm. In the year 2023, young women aren’t forced to self-censor, being able to remain marketable while joking about “whose sheets” they ended up in and how they want to “kiss his face with an uppercut”.

The album is not entirely a home run. The writing on GUTS is often simple, both to its benefit and its detriment. At its best, that simplicity comes across as plain-spoken, like calling a man too old for you a “famefucker”, or exclaiming that “everything I do is tragic”. At its worst, that simplicity drops into cliches like “hurt people hurt people” on the forgettable ‘the grudge’ or “two plus two equals five” on ‘logical’. The closest the album comes to being boring is on the track ‘lacy’, which deals with feeling jealous of another girl and not being sure what that jealousy is. A well-trodden subject matter, the track doesn’t do enough to eclipse other songs that have done the same, whether it be Rodrigo’s own ‘happier’ or her BFF Conan Gray’s recent hit ‘Heather’.

As the album comes to a close, Rodrigo ponders “When am I gonna stop being great for my age and just start being good?”. Rodrigo may have answered her own question: that time is now. Her artistic touch sets her far above her peers, displaying a deep understanding of how to fit in while also standing out. As the saying goes, honesty is the best policy. Seemingly, spilling your guts is a pretty good policy too.