After infiltrating the airwaves in 2021 with a debut album nobody on the pop scene saw coming, Olivia Rodrigo had the world on her shoulders, looking over them to see if she could successfully follow up her lightening in a bottle.

That sophomore album, GUTS, makes it clear that Rodrigo is not intending to be that flash in the pan, but rather an artist who knows who she is and is leans into it full-throttle.

As expected, the smell of coming-of-age angst her millions of fans adore is thankfully ever-present on GUTS. It’s a vibe that everyone can enjoy since it’s a ressurgance reminisant of early 2000s rock pop, but repackaged up nicely for a newer crowd.

While it seems like all harmless fun in the heartbreak jams ‘vampire’, ‘bad idea right?’, and ‘get him back’, there’s also more mature messaging throughout. She speaks of public reputation (and her often despise of it) on ‘teenage dream’, becoming hardened by betrayal on ‘grudge’, and even takes a moment to self-actualize and wallow in the equally bad and good consequences of every action in ‘making the bed’. Anxious insecurity comes up again similar to how it appeared on her debut album, SOUR, in a way that makes it feel like an unfortunate, unavoidable side affect of living in the world today.

Though she’s only 19 nineteen years old, a fact she points out herself in the new album, she does exhibit a talent beyond her years and the paradox her persona exhibits makes her an exciting one to watch. She wants to just enjoy her youth and not grow up too fast despite the pressure to, yet she wants to fast forward a bit to where she feels more settled, confident and less naïve. She has an edgier sound than a lot of her pop counterparts, yet can shine in a well-written ballad all the same. While she does sample some pop beats from the best in the business, she still manages to make it seem fresh and probably most importantly, cool.

Her vulnerability and dedication to not being one-dimensional will keep Olivia Rodrigo at the fun, unique intersection of culture she currently finds herself in. No pressure, though.