You’ve Streamed Guts to Death… Now What?
Graphic by Julia Norkus
By Lia Klug
Olivia Rodrigo’s highly anticipated sophomore album Guts was released Sept. 8, 2023. On her new album, Olivia Rodrigo has joined in the pop-punk Y2K revival we’ve seen emerging recently. Another example of this renaissance is presented in Emma Seligman’s recent film Bottoms (2023) with its ode to many an early ‘00s teen movie and its relaunch of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated”. On Guts, Rodrigo opts for a more pop-oriented sound reminiscent of “brutal” and “jealousy, jealousy” from her first album Sour (2021). While still staying true to her Taylor Swift-ian tendencies she’s known for from her smash hit debut single “driver’s license”.
It’s no surprise that we are entering an angry girl fall after the great Barbie girl summer of ’23. The summer was spent reminiscing on the joys of girlhood and with the turn of the season comes an embracing of the anger and passion girlhood often delivers. Enough about healing your inner-child! Let’s work on healing your angry pre-teen, babe! Take out your cherry-black lipstick, fishnet tights, and a mini-skirt and lean into it!
Now that this rallying cry has been sent out, it’s time to dive in. You’ve listened to Guts a billion times over and you want more. There’s only so many times you can listen to “get him back!” before you start wishing for a 10 minute version, a la “All Too Well”. The good news is that Rodrigo is simply a new addition to a long list of iconic women in pop-punk! This list is about where else you can find that sound and feeling. Here’s where to start if you’re looking for a sound similar to Guts, and for an introduction to angry girl pop-punk Y2K fall!
(P.S. Olivia is often compared to both Taylor Swift and Lorde, which is a fair comparison, but for the purposes of this article–the fact that if you like Olivia Rodrigo you’ve likely heard of those two already–I won’t be including them on the list! All love <3 )
Kiss City - Blondshell
Sultry, angry, bitter everything we want from an Olivia Rodrigo song, in her new era. This song has that shouty, biting sound that makes Guts so enjoyably different from much of the other music on the radio right now. There’s also a few irreverent lyrics in this song which give that same shock value of the line “Every guy I like is gay” from “ballad of a homeschool girl”. A favorite line of mine from “Kiss City” is, “I think my kink is when you tell me that you think I’m pretty”. Overall this song very much has the vibe of self-loathing in love, of comparing yourself to others they may have been with before. This is a theme Rodrigo touches on a lot in Guts especially in “love is embarrassing”.
Everything - Fefe Dobson
So very Y2K! There is a certain vocal fry to this song that transports you into a ‘00’s teen movie. Dobson creates a perfect blend of pop-punk, and rock in a way very similar to Rodrigo. A catchy chorus which will have any listener obsessing much like many of Rodrigo’s hits. Oddly enough “Everything” was the only single from Dobson’s debut album to miss the Canadian Singles Chart, but it’s my personal fav! Give it a listen, this song is an underrated addition to the collection of early ‘00s pop-punk.
Doll Parts - Hole
Olivia herself has shared her love for Hole’s album Live Through This (1994) with her 2021 photoshoot in the style of the Live Through This album cover. While it has been debated whether or not Courtney Love appreciated this homage, if you love Rodrigo and have yet to give this album a listen it's an absolute must! This song and album are similar in theme to “pretty isn’t pretty” and “teenage dream”. It’s about feeling less than and empty inside while trying to present outer beauty. Oh the trials of being a woman!
Simple Kind of Life - No Doubt
Olivia Rodrigo has been public about her respect for Gwen Stefani as a songwriter. Olivia told PopCrush, “She’s so honest,” said Rodrigo. “Even in this song, she's like, ‘I always thought I'd be a mom.’ I'm like, ‘Who says that?’ That's so great.’” This inspiration is evident on Guts musically and lyrically. Rodrigo emulates this honesty used by Stefani in her own music. Both women aren’t afraid to share the darker thoughts that come up when growing up a girl. This song really reminds me lyrically of “making the bed” from Guts. “Simple Kind of Life” feels like a focus in on the lyric, “I'm so tired of being the girl that I am / Every good thing has turned into something I dread” from “making the bed”.
Before the World Was Big - Girlpool
More indie rock about growing up and being kinda wistfully sad about it! This song is much less pop-y than much of Rodrigo’s music but vibes are the same. If you like the talky singing Olivia does in “get him back!” and “bad idea right?” This will give the same effect. There’s a sense of missing life before everything was your fault, of having an insular life. Very “Teenage Dream”!
Seether- Veruca Salt
If you liked the female rage in “ballad of a homeschool girl” and “love is embarrassing,” you’ll love this song. My favorite lyric from the song that gives exactly this brand of girlhood anger is, “Keep her down, boiling water keep her down, what a lovely daughter”. Perfect to scream-sing in the car.
Perfect - Alanis Morissette
This is another artist that Rodrigo has been public about her love for. During an artist-on-artist interview for Rolling Stone, Rodrigo told Morissette that this song was a game changer for her. She heard this song in the car with her parents when she was 13 and it changed her view of songwriting forever. Olivia is quoted saying, “I remember hearing ‘Perfect,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I told my music teacher a couple days after: ‘You can write songs like that?” This is no shock to me. I feel that despite this song having been released in 1995 it would fit on Guts seamlessly.