On September 8th, 2023, Olivia Rodrigo released her second studio album, Guts. The album has helped relieve the grievances of young girls facing the mistrials of society. Following her debut album, Sour, fans hoped Guts would have similar themes to Sour, and once again, Rodrigo fulfilled and exceeded their expectations.

Lily Arzie, a Junior at Wilsonville, was skeptical at first; however, once she re-listened to the lyrics, she resonated with many of the themes presented in the album, as it illustrates the hardships of teenage girls. 

Similar to Sour, the album demonstrates authentic storytelling, self-discovery, and sincere lyrics. Many students, in particular at WHS, have resonated with the consistent themes in the album, including Junior Aysha Marin. Marin explains that Rodrigo’s lyricism further conveys complex themes related to girlhood. “It’s so personal to teenage girls, especially high school girls.”

Marin mentions one song in particular: Pretty isn’t pretty enough. This song provides a raw, authentic introspective on the battles that low self-esteem entails. In many ways, society can perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards for teenage girls.

Marin explains how Rodrigo addresses these standards through her lyricism, which heavily resonated with her fans, “Pretty isn’t pretty enough is one song about a teenage girl, and it’s so sad because it practically says that in society, sometimes you never feel good enough.”

Apart from the many deep and complex themes presented in this album, there is also a clear distinction in the genre of music between her two recent albums. Marin describes how in Sour, the themes were demonstrated through slower-paced songs and heartfelt storytelling. However, in Guts, it was more “rock, punk, 2000s vibe.” This transition of genres seemed to be unexpected by her fans, although the difference in music genres between her two studio albums demonstrates Rodrigo’s versatility and talent.

To conclude, Rodrigo’s new album presented complex themes and mistrials many teenage girls face. Additionally, she displayed variety in her music with the release of her new album. This further catapulted her to stardom, and continued to fulfill her fan’s expectations.