With the newest release of Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS, fans determine which of her albums they prefer. Debut album SOUR differs from GUTS stylistically, yet they both feature Rodrigo’s distinct voice. Rodrigo consistently sings about the life of a teenage girl, heartbreak, love and daily feelings throughout both albums, appealing to any listener’s mood.
Beginning her public career through TV commercials and insignificant shows, Rodrigo continued her love for music that she discovered at a young age. Hit Disney show Bizaardvark starred Rodrigo, pushing her further into an acting career. As a teenager, she engaged in shows that allowed her to showcase her musical ability, such as “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” when she sang her original songs. She then decided to release her first single, later added to her debut album, SOUR.
Her newest album, GUTS, includes several pop-rock songs mixed with ballads and various slower, sadder songs. Despite the diversity in the songs’ genres GUTS manages to maintain a cohesive vibe throughout the entirety of the album. Initially teased with the single “Vampire,” the album seemed similar to SOUR, but after the full release, fans felt astonished at the variety of the album.
GUTS displays a constant theme of rage and teenage angst, especially after her rise to fame after her first hit album. The confident mood allows listeners to feel hyped up after listening, as upbeat takes the utmost part of the album. Songs “get him back!” and “bad idea right?” express the distress of teenage life leading Rodrigo to include clips of her screaming and causing chaos in the songs. However, GUTS values the roots of SOUR with its songs “making the bed,” “the grudge” and others, exhibiting ideas of anxiety and stress.
“I think I like GUTS better, but it’s pretty close. To me, GUTS just totally embodies how fun it is to be a teenage girl and it’s such a ‘windows down’ kind of album. I love her more upbeat songs like ‘get him back!’ from GUTS and ‘brutal’ from SOUR, but I think the contrast and variety is the best part,” magnet junior Leika Badstibner said.
On the other hand, SOUR came after a major heartbreak in Rodrigo’s timeline. After working together on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” Rodrigo and costar Joshua Bassett allegedly engaged in a romantic relationship outside the hit show. After the release of SOUR, fans linked Rodrigo’s song “driver’s license,” to the relationship and breakup between the two. Several other songs on SOUR featured a similar tone to “drivers license,” exuding a somber atmosphere. A minority of songs scattered through SOUR such as “good 4 u” and “deja vu” display the average upbeat sound of pop, but cannot compare to the high-energy songs of GUTS.
“I prefer SOUR. SOUR had the perfect amount of ballads, which are the songs I think perfectly bring out her songwriting and her vocals. For GUTS, I did enjoy the track listing. Each song moved from one to the other perfectly, making a great overall story. I noticed that GUTS has more rock-influenced upbeat songs than SOUR, but the similarity, I noticed, was the overall vibe,” magnet junior Brandon Nguyen-Weissbach said.
In contrast to the popular term “sophomore slump,” Rodrigo’s sophomore album reached higher success than SOUR. Although GUTS includes an additional track compared to SOUR, GUTS debuted with 302,000 units compared to the 295,000 units from SOUR. Overall, Rodrigo did exceptionally well for a newer artist in the music industry. Fans may compare the two albums to each other, but they both showcase Rodrigo’s talent and voice, providing engaging sing-along music for anyone to enjoy.
“Both of her albums are very much a representation of all the emotions of a teenage girl and I love that. GUTS feels like a more mature album, and I don’t know if it’s because it came out more recently or if it’s because of what she’s writing, but SOUR feels like the beginner step in that sense. I think they both have their own best moments which makes them hard to compare, but overall I just feel like GUTS is the better one,” Badstibner said.
