“GUTS” is Olivia Rodrigo’s second studio album. Following her most recent breakup, she writes about her struggles after the relationship, along with several other topics that are personal to her. This album is impressive to see after her first album, and I could tell after the first track that this was something special. Here’s my ranking of every song and the things that stuck out to me.

12. “Love is Embarrassing”

Starting with my least favorite, “Love is Embarrassing” is about Olivia Rodrigo looking back on a relationship and how obsessed she was with this person, realizing how embarrassing it is to be so into someone and all of the things she did that she looks back at and cringes. This one just didn’t stand out that much to me, though, don’t get me wrong, it is a good track.

11. “Bad Idea Right?”

“Bad Idea Right?” is a track about Rodrigo going back to her ex-boyfriend after a night out with her friends. It is very upbeat and shows her thought process through making this decision, with a very back-and-forth argument with herself. I enjoy this song a lot, I just feel like it is missing something in the lyrics that I can’t put my finger on.

10. “Pretty Isn’t Pretty”

The track “Pretty Isn’t Pretty” takes us through Rodrigo’s perspective on her issues with self-image and how she struggles to keep confidence in herself. You can feel how she feels through her words as she gives examples of different things she struggles with, but I just don’t think the actual music portrays an emotional feeling enough to match the lyrics. 

9. “Vampire”

“Vampire” was the first single before the release of the album. It showed a completely different side of Rodrigo, not to mention the amount of growth she’s had as a singer since her last album. I was impressed to the max when this song was released and it blew me away. I think I just listened to it too much, so when the album came out I was already used to it. 

8. “Teenage Dream”

This is the final song on the album, and it works very well. She closes “GUTS” the exact same way that she did on her previous album, “SOUR,” and I feel that there could’ve been a more creative way to do it. This track describes her feeling that people will be disappointed once she grows older, and how she thinks her success won’t follow her because a lot of people listen to her because of how well she portrays being a teenage girl.

7. “The Grudge”

“The Grudge” details Rodrigo’s feelings about her breakup and the different things she is going through afterward. She explains how she feels she isn’t ready to forgive her ex-boyfriend and how she can’t understand how he could do the things he did. The song ends in the middle of a sentence, “It takes strength to forgive but-”. I think this song is about the middle ground of the entire album, there are a few better, and a few worse, so I decided to put this at seven because the next six are my absolute favorites.

6. “Logical”

When I first heard this song, I didn’t love it that much. The next time I heard it, I was driving on the highway with it blasting my speakers out and I fell in love with it. The bridge in this song just presents such a distinct feeling. You can tell how much this track means to Rodrigo. It holds up enough to be one of my favorites on the album.

5. “Get Him Back!”

“Get Him Back!” is a double entendre that Rodrigo uses to explain her conflicted emotions about an ex-boyfriend saying that she can’t decide if she should get him back with revenge or get him back and continue their relationship. She shows how she is stuck on the things they did together and how much she misses that. This track is jumpy and I can definitely imagine an entire crowd of people screaming it along with her.

4. “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl”

The fifth track on “GUTS,” “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” goes into Rodrigo’s social anxiety and her random thoughts. She shows a more embarrassing part of her life and opens up about how awkward she feels she acts at parties and just in public in general. This track showcases her vocals and an incredible punk style that we’ve seen before on her debut album in the track “Brutal.”

3. “Making the Bed”

“Making the Bed” takes the phrase “you’ve made your bed, now lie in it” and uses it to present her emotions through her fame and resentment for general things she feels. She explains how much she dreads these things, but still admits that she is the only one to be blamed. It shows her resentment for fame, but also explains how much she still wants it. This song displays her vocals once again and it just feels soft to the ears.

2. “All-American B****”

“All-American B****” is the first track of the album. This track is perfect as an opener for this album, bringing a bit of soft guitar that leads into a huge jump of punk themes with overdrive guitar, then switches back out of nowhere. She impresses with her vocals and opens the album with angst in a way that I think was perfect for this album, and it completely sets the tone.

1. “Lacy”

This track is emotional. Rodrigo describes her insecurity and jealousy of someone. She uses beautiful lyricism and soft vocals. You can feel the hurt in the music and it 100% deserves the number one spot. I am in love with this song and cannot stop replaying it time after time. Everything she does in this song just fits into place perfectly and it gives you a sort of falling feeling that gets me every single time I listen to it.

Overall, this album goes down in the books as one of my favorites and has definitely taken its spot over Rodrigo’s debut album, “SOUR.” She just announced her world tour and I can’t wait to see what she has in store next.