I definitely agree with you about all the ballads on the album but I’m super glad Olivia did rock pop on this album I can’t wait what Olivia has next for us!!
personally i loved how she went more rock/punk instead of more ballads. that genre really suits her. songs like get him back!, love is embarrassing, ballad of a homeschooled girl and bad idea right were my highlights. also all american bitch was the perfect album opener. i really hope get him back! is the next single.
I like how this era is more so an expansion of the world that was set in SOUR instead of a full reinvention. It was really entertaining to listen to. Only thing I think that sour did better is maybe the visuals. The MV's, the photoshoots and the lyric videos in sour are just eye candy. This one still good just more subtle
GUTS definitely feels like SOUR in "dark mode" on a phone visually. Like I think reinvention is a later-stage sort of thing. I found that it might be a play at visual maturity which tends to be more minimalist but also could be a way to have us focus more on the material itself. Olivia really seems to be very proud of the work (as she should be!)
I felt GUTS was the perfect sonic evolution for Olivia, the album was a total rollercoaster, I think with more crafted lyrics than sour but keeping the spirit of it. I'll definitely listen it on repeat for the next weeks.
Oh, I agree, the improvement in vocals and lyrics is crazy. I think perhaps those who prefer Sour are sorta still in the sort of experience range or period Olivia was during the era.
I think that people expected her to do a radical departure when she's still developing her career. This is album #2 lol. And as for "Guts" I also think it's much more refined than "Sour"; it's a blast. I personally love alternative rock (Alanis Morissette, Nirvana, Fiona Apple, The White Stripes etc.) and it's cool to see her put her own spin on it.
Radical spins tend to happen later into the career, I agree. I think it's just SOUR feeling so much bigger than a usual era that started that up. The way I see some people write made me think they thought we were like on her 4th album.The alt rock spin in my honest opinion was the best thing she could have done. I could see all the influences without it eating too much of the music. I didn't cover the bonus tracks (because I only listened to a low quality copy floating on Twitter) but one was so The White Stripes!
I feel like they’re actually very close and GUTS seems like she hates SOUR but she loves her a lot and wants to protect her. Haha, like those two sisters from Scream 5 & 6!
I appreciate how she used a lot of Live organic instrumentation and limited the vocal processing, it gives the album a concert Vibe, also the lyrics are very american culture coded, It's like ultraviolence but with faster tempos. Also the two Lines "I am built like a Mother and a total machine" and "every Guy I like is gay" made me laugh out loud
Yes! I loved the way it did feel organically like you were at an underground show. Combined with good speakers it really feels like a fun set at a small club! Olivia is a comedian!
Olivia is actually a genius but most people dismiss her as just another 'heartbreak songs' singer coz thats kinda how she packages her music. But there is SO much depth and beautiful lyricism in her music that many people don't realize at first glance. In my opinion, Liv can be so much bigger and better if she truly starts giving herself credit and stops trying to please everyone. People already say that she's a song stealer and that she's not original, but she doesn't clap back and defend herself strongly. I get that she's very kind (and that's amazing) but you can see in her songs how much pent up rage she has for the way she's been treated. She needs to start clapping back at people (in her own classy way) and stand tall and proud. She probably still feels very fresh-faced and new but some insecure people really might try to put her down so she has to be ready for that.
I love this album, she's grown a lot since Sour, and it's better. My fav is Teenage Dream. I cried through the whole song (and after it) and the voicenote at the end just killed me. I was ready to not like this song but here I am. Love ur video
That song genuinely destroyed me then I remembered my sister and brother who are sorta exiting that stage and it wrecked me again. The note at the end with Dan's daughter which is a "life moves on" but also a "oh no one day she'll do this too but I'll be there to help" which just wrecks me again. Thank you for the comment!
Thank you for mentioning that pretty isn’t pretty sounds like ghost by Katy Perry. I picked that up on the first listen. The whole song is very Katy coded and I love seeing that influence I think Guts is such a good album and leaps above sour in terms of song quality. Excited to see what Olivia is able to continue to do My top 5 currently are get him back! pretty isn’t pretty bad idea right? ballad of a homeschooled girl making the bed
Katy's really more of an influence on Olivia than say Taylor in my honest opinion (especially after re-listening to One of The Boys). Oh I actually agree that it's a tangible improvement over Sour. AAAA! Ours is pretty close (same sings just a different order! I'd put bad idea right? just at 5 and maybe ballad at one) TASTE!
this album definitely felt looser and more confident to me compared to Sour, which I love. I'm not her target audience, but I can't help but admire her talent and spirit. its the pop-rock bangers that really work for me, especially All American Bitch and Bad Idea, right? I can imagine how hard this album will hit for teenage girls, it probably would have saved my life in 8th grade
i feel like hearing this makes me really think there are universal experiences and the context behind it (the younger crowd having different social media and etiquette and rules) being diff is really all that changes, i'm glad her gen and target demo get songs that'll definitely help them heal and navigate the world the way Lorde did for my gen's angsty girls or Avril did for the one before and so forth and so on
While listening to this I felt something cinematic about it, that any song of it will be perfect for any coming of age movie, I loved all the imagery that she evokes on her titles and concept, I think she just gets all of us as teens/young adults, because she’s one, she just gets it, we get to grow at the same time with her, feeling reflected and related to her experiences, I literally felt seen and that Olivia just put my life on those two albums, that now and always will be an unforgettable part of my teenage years, I feel happy and lucky to see an artist evolve and grow, love u liv 💜
You sort of put into words how I felt having Lorde’s first two records with me (I’m older haha) but I’m glad Liv is that artist for you! It’s a privilege to sort of find an artist that captures your journey in life!
@erikdaniels0n I think Melo still has a place to resonate with the younger gen and itself is a pretty timeless piece but I also agree that GUTS is gonna fill that space for the younger gen. I think the anxiety of the modern world has sorta shifted flavors from 2017 and the pop punk fits how awful everything can be! Like the rage is so real!
I think there's this invisible pressure to stay the same but also "evolve" so much. There's also the fact "everything's been done before" so like even the lightest homage feels like a total rip-off to some. I enjoyed the album but I do worry about how like younger artists get flack. Like there's valid criticism but people want to pick fights nowadays.
Omg I agree with this commentary! It really reflects on what I feel on the album. And yes, it avoided the sophomore slump and ues IT'S BETTER THAN SOUR! PS. Finally someone noticed that the intro of AAB is similar to the intro of Joanne, thought its just me 😆
I genuinely think it's going to be someone's Melodrama the way the record was to me, I'm a bit old hat but I appreciate how well it captures being 19 or growing up so well. (AND THANK YOU, PPL SAID I WAS CRAZY FOR HEARING JOANNE)
Am I the only one who hears similarities between The Grudge and Drivers' License? As for the album, Guts delved into a lot of different aspects of Olivia's life/mind that still interconnect with one another because they ARE interconnected, whereas Sour felt too one-note for me and a lot of people. Plus Guts was way more surgical and nuanced on the issues Sour only touched upon kind of "superficially" (for a lack of a better word, not in a bad way obviously). So at least lyrically, it's definitely better than the first.
I agree they seem to have some sorta chord similarity and the way the vocals escalate really call back to that song. I really liked the way you said surgical, like there's songs that touch on the same sorta topics as Sour but like specifically about it. Like PiP really felt like it got to a more specific root to the problems she sang about in jealousy, jealousy.
i feel like guts was a great sophomore album. it didn't sound too different to sour, but also didn't sound to similar. she found a really good in-between and feel like it was a smooth transition from her debut. i'm excited to see what kind of sound she's going to strive for in her third album.
I want her to either really do a cool fun synthpop-y Melodrama with her own little stringy spin OR like pivot to a whole different genre! I’d follow her to the ends of the Earth!
I've been seeing some mixed fan opinions lately but to be honest I prefer GUTS to SOUR too!! I gave SOUR a few listens after it initially came out, but honestly, since then have not felt the desire to return to it. I think the sound and lyrics of this new record are more complex, interesting, and I can definitely see a lot of its songs falling into my regular rotation, especially vampire and get him back! But I'm all for embracing more pop punk/alt rock roots and I am really looking forward to where she decides to take her sound next!! (Also lacy is for sure a queer song in some way -- I saw someone online describe it as a track "for every girl that had to go through doomed homoerotic toxic friendship" and honestly??? I can't get it out of my head now)
Sour was on loop for me when it dropped just because of Traitor or Favorite Crime but dropped off within a few months. This one, I'm genuinely scared is gonna be in my rotations for longer than that! (Agreed on that take on Lacy haha)
So personally I found Sour to be a so-so album with Brutal and Good 4 U being the standout songs though after listening closer to the lyrics for some songs i have come to appreciate the album more. Honestly, I was surprised with the childish high school vibes of Guts given her hints it would be a more mature release so I am now curious how her 3rd album will sound when she is now well past her teenage years. Personally, on first listen I definitely liked this album more since it just catered more to the rock sound of Sour. The Grudge is definitely my favorite ballad due to the obvious jab at Taylor tho it reminds me a lot of Driver's License with the whispery vocals.
I feel like GUTS is purposefully bratty in a sense but I do think the next album is probably going to be a true reinvention just because of transitioning in age, sound and look!
I’m honored haha! But yes, I think at the very least there are a couple bops on here that speak to my late millennial depressed former corporate slave self haha
Ps no one reads these right? 😂 I’m gen x and Olivia makes me feel seen. She channels so many of my favs. Courtney Love, Romeo Void, Beck, Lush, and the breeders. Not copies, just inspiration.
I was so gagged reading the credits and producers and shook she pulled off a clever simple Orwellian reference. Thank you for watching! Love to see you back in the comments as always! 💜
Honestly, I think she has a love and reverence for that time period in a way she wants us to think of those artists and discover her own faves. I find the plagiarism takes so disingenuous.
tbh I think that assigning lacy homosexual undertones might take away from the message that societal expectations create this extreme sense of competition between girls and the "girl experience" in general. (this is coming from a bisexual girlie so dw its not because I don't want her to be gay lmao)
tbh i do think that take’s far closer to the actual intention but Olivia… like between this and Obsessed… you are lighting a flame you cannot douse out 😭
I'm not sure who you're listening to, but more often than not an artists' sophomore album does way better than their debut. Britney's Oops, Christina's Stripped, Shania's Come On Over, Lady A's Need You Now, Backstreet Boys' Backstreets' Back, *Nysnc's No Strings Attached, Taylor Swift's Fearless, Jojo's The High Road, Miley Cyrus' Breakout, Charlie Puth's Voicenotes, Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway, Lights' Siberia and Shawn Mendes' Illuminate.
Oh bestie, even though my channel is pop oriented… a lot of the indie and alt and sometimes RnB ppl I listen to have had awful second records or records that def were not as good
I respect that she’s maturing with her music, but personally - I didn’t really like it. And it makes me sad because I love sour so much, but I don’t know - it’s not really doing it for me. The only track I ever see myself going back to is vampire.
I honestly do think respect your take. I think this album's lean towards rock was going to mess with the fans who really loved the balladry and mid-tempo stuff on SOUR.
Just wondering what do you think you dont like about it? To me it just seems to be sour but better. The pop rock songs have more personality and amazing hooks. And the ballads are so much more interesting and different to one another. The ones on sour all kinda blend together in my opinion and the writing is so much more refined and amazing. I respect your opinion just wondered what it is about Guts??
@@AlexGoZoom That’s so interesting to me because my opinion is the exact opposite. I’m not the biggest fan of rock as a genre, so I think it’s all quite a lot to take in. I think I’m just gonna need time with the project for me to fully appreciate it.
@endedbyari I get that. She's definitely leaned a lot more into the rock side of things on this album which she was only really experimenting with on sour. I can see why to someone who's not huge on rock would find it a bit much
there's a lot of sophomore albums that are really good despite the popularity or the critics. i could name a few. Diamonds & Dancefloors by Ava Max is so good. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry??? literally pop bible. Fearless by Taylor Swift, iconic. Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa too
@brycenmyers I had to pause it and repeat it! Like the flow on the track is so smooth it flew over my head until I went “girl, i’m so sorry u went through that 😭”
This album is so much better than Sour, it's crazy. The potential was there in Sour, but it was drenched in ballads that did nothing to a 27 yo woman. Well, 2 years later and this 29 yo woman instantly went back to her 14 yo self while listening, in the summer of 2009, full of angst, listening to Weezer, Panic!, The all American rejects, block party, cranberries and evanescence, crying all summer long over the worst fight I've ever had with my best friend and mourning the loss of the friendship. Full grown adults that condemn this album for being childish, probably forgot how weird, cringe and awkward being 20 is. This album IS childish, in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE. A few thoughts: all-American might be top 5 openers of the year, ballad of a homeschooled girl is my favorite (I mean "every time I step outside, it's social suicide" daaamn girl, can u be more relatable?!). Logical is the best ballad on here, thank u Julia Michaels. The singles come alive in the context of the album. I predict Pretty isn't pretty is going to be an underrated deep cut, that not a lot of people will talk about, that's why I'll be in my little corner on the internet gushing over it, cause it's SO GOOD. In a not so serious note, I can't wait for her to get a little bit older, and her teenage angst gets replaced with real adult depression. Dark, industrial syntpop, here we come! Great video as always, I don't know how u manage to write, record, edit and release it just one day after release, our hard working king 🙏
Aaaah I love seeing your comments and thank you so much for your support on this channel! 🩵 It means the world to me! Honestly, I had a feeling that people in our demo were gonna love this more than Sour just because of the punky immature sorta sound! God I miss rebellion and being a lost kiddo sometimes (but also mot really!) Your picks are so good! Omg ballad of a homeschooled girl needs to be a single or get a house party Superbad inspired music video! Logical’s bound to be the downtempo late single tbh! Oh I’m ready for 25 year old “wtf the world is awful like fuck” album! Haha I was keeling over my laptop and juggling social responsibilities while working on this! (I may have recorded a bit of this at an on and off fling’s house 😭)
I respect your opinion, but isn’t a bit early to tell if it’s a flop or not? Great insights, don’t get me wrong, but the album was only released on Friday.
Thanks for the comment. I get ahead of myself sometimes. But I do think it's done a great job on the critical side and generated like 2 top 10 hits, I think the only bars left to clear are sales numbers and Grammy nods. I do know the tour is going to be hell to get tickets to. I do think there isn't an outright smash the way Good 4 U was (at least not yet) but I also do think the album's promo narrative has never been "we're going to top SOUR commercially" bc that's a bit of a fool's errand. For me at least, I do think it's been a solid run so far.
@@EljohnMacaranas That’s fair! Personally, I love the UnHiNGed energy of the some of the material on here - reminds me of Weezer’s Pinkerton in that way! Either way (cult or mainstream), I think this album will find an audience! 🤘😊🤘
Nothing on the bonus track "Obsessed"?? It's on certain versions of the vinyl at the end after "Teenage Dream"...the whole album is great, fave track is "Love is Embarrassing"...
Oh I’ve heard them but not in HQ! It’s a solid cut that really leans into the darker production elements, almost like a B-Side to Lacy in subject matter
I love punk rock music I heavily listened to it during my teen years but this was a miss for me. Personally, I felt like it was all over the place production wise and sometimes even lyrically. I don't think it'll flop alot of people seem to really enjoy it. I do like some songs of it lacy, pretty isnt pretty, and teenage dream. However from the way it was being promoted I thought it was going to be a happier album but it wasnt. It sounds like Guts was meant for her 17 tear old self going thru teen rage and then Sour was for her 19 year old self who is having closure in her teenage hood and ready to take on her adult life. I feel like because brutal and good 4 u did so well she felt like she needed to make an entire album of it. I just think there were parts that felt too chaotic. Please dont come for me people this is just my opinion. I love her other music except this wasnt it for me. Its not a bad album it just isnt for me. I know it will do good. Everyone has been paising it so it will for sure break records. She already secured a strong fan base.
Honestly I think criticism (esp when you put it like that) is fair, especially considering the way this album definitely being more of a yang to Sour's yin. It's definitely not going to win over anyone who wasn't onboard for a particular sound of hers.
do you think theres any validity to the rumors that 'the grudge' and/or 'vampire' might be directed at taylor? alot of people think there was some drama with taylor coming for her royalties. its also weird because i dont think cruel summer and deja vu sound anything alike.....taylor cannot own the concept of chanting a bridge lol.
Olivia herself said that she was surprised by the rumors because they make no sense. And Taylor did not know about the credits. Jack Antonoff said that one day they woke up and Olivia had given the credits to them because of the whole comparing songs thing and because they had used an interpolation of cruel Summer.
Vampire is definitely 💯 NOT about Taylor at all. The Grudge would be a better fit for that sorta narrative imho but even then I do think to a degree there was some sorta “never meet your heroes” moment for Liv. Which is a shame!
Unpopular opinion but for me it’s not really it. All of Sour was a teenage girl blaming her ex for all the hurt she’s been through. With the release of vampire as a first single there is nothing new. I was impressed by the second single. I found it interesting and also the music video was great. It was catchy and it was an escape from all of the ballads we were used to. So I thought I might give GUTS a try. Musically, nothing new as in instrumentals and vocals, I hear a little bit of Avril, a little bit of Billie but nothing too exciting or never seen before. I am sorry. BUT I think she still has a potential to grow even bigger.
I think that's a fair assessment to make. I was a huge fan of Sour and the influences so I was sorta the perfect mark in a way. It makes me happy but I do recognize that she definitely has room to improve and potential.
No fr like I love GUTS but I was really expecting it to be a little more different than SOUR. I love all of the tracks but they really just sound like the same songs from SOUR. But other than that, it's an amazing album and she definitely improved since SOUR. I actually like GUTS more than SOUR lol.
It’s kinda cool seeing the across the board reactions about the album, I haven’t seen a major album have like mixed consensus in a bit, it’s usu r good or let’s forget it! What exactly didn’t you like?
@@EljohnMacaranas in all honesty it's just missing something to me it all sounds like sour reject songs. It feels like an album full of filler songs. Obviously her singles are gonna sell because it's her but when you compare vampire to any single of sour it's just not a memorable track for me. The album feels non memorable. When I heard Brutal I was hooked right away same with Good 4 You and my personal fav Enough For You with this album im finding myself having to replay to try n like something besides Bad Idea Right but so far I haven't found anything I love.
I felt the same way. There aren't songs I would actively go back to compared to her first singles from sour. So far I have seen positive reviews and everyone seems to really love it. She will for sure sell enough. She has a big enough fan base for it but I just couldn't get into it. It's actually nice to see some other people agree with me I felt like such an outlier lol.
GUTS is finally hear and it's been fun to see everyone's takes on the album! Drop your fave track or even your least fave below! I'm so curious!
I definitely agree with you about all the ballads on the album but I’m super glad Olivia did rock pop on this album I can’t wait what Olivia has next for us!!
oh all american bitch and lacy are my faves 😳
Get him back is my least fav💀 and Teenage dream is my fav
@@hassanmansour9857 fr. Get Him Back! was the only song on this album i consider genuinely irredeemably bad
love is embarrassing is super funnn.. wish it was longer
When listening to this album, I felt like it was the second season of a hit tv show that just does everything better than the first.
That's honestly a really good way of seeing it for some who thought this was more of the same. I thought of it as Empire to Sour's A New Hope.
What a great way of describing it
Yeah exactly what I was thinking
YES
personally i loved how she went more rock/punk instead of more ballads. that genre really suits her. songs like get him back!, love is embarrassing, ballad of a homeschooled girl and bad idea right were my highlights. also all american bitch was the perfect album opener. i really hope get him back! is the next single.
YES, love those picks and the direction. I think get him back! will get a video or something, there's been a lot of playlisting for it.
i understand the “i am built like a mother and a total machine” like a criticism of reproduction rights being taken away in america
whoa… that’d makes more sense esp after her calling out SCOTUS with Lily Allen last year! her mind!!!!
And also women being expected to be a housewife. Almost like a machine, only programmed to perform the same tasks.
I like how this era is more so an expansion of the world that was set in SOUR instead of a full reinvention. It was really entertaining to listen to. Only thing I think that sour did better is maybe the visuals. The MV's, the photoshoots and the lyric videos in sour are just eye candy. This one still good just more subtle
GUTS definitely feels like SOUR in "dark mode" on a phone visually. Like I think reinvention is a later-stage sort of thing. I found that it might be a play at visual maturity which tends to be more minimalist but also could be a way to have us focus more on the material itself. Olivia really seems to be very proud of the work (as she should be!)
I felt GUTS was the perfect sonic evolution for Olivia, the album was a total rollercoaster, I think with more crafted lyrics than sour but keeping the spirit of it. I'll definitely listen it on repeat for the next weeks.
Oh, I agree, the improvement in vocals and lyrics is crazy. I think perhaps those who prefer Sour are sorta still in the sort of experience range or period Olivia was during the era.
“i’m grateful all the time” made me think of the model minority myth so hard 😭 princess of wasia
I can’t believe I didn’t even think of that interpretation! Thank you so much for sharing that because it adds another layer of love I have for it!
WELL YES! I love this interpretation
transitioning from SOUR to GUTS felt like going from Shrek to Shrek 2. Meaning "I am you but BETTER"
Wait no this comment wins like perfect metaphor haha! I was watching Shrek 2 the other day and like… washed the original and most cinema. 💚
I think that people expected her to do a radical departure when she's still developing her career. This is album #2 lol. And as for "Guts" I also think it's much more refined than "Sour"; it's a blast. I personally love alternative rock (Alanis Morissette, Nirvana, Fiona Apple, The White Stripes etc.) and it's cool to see her put her own spin on it.
Radical spins tend to happen later into the career, I agree. I think it's just SOUR feeling so much bigger than a usual era that started that up. The way I see some people write made me think they thought we were like on her 4th album.The alt rock spin in my honest opinion was the best thing she could have done. I could see all the influences without it eating too much of the music. I didn't cover the bonus tracks (because I only listened to a low quality copy floating on Twitter) but one was so The White Stripes!
lolll you did not just compare her to those all-timers
Guts like Sour’s mature, cynical, jaded sister.
I feel like they’re actually very close and GUTS seems like she hates SOUR but she loves her a lot and wants to protect her. Haha, like those two sisters from Scream 5 & 6!
I appreciate how she used a lot of Live organic instrumentation and limited the vocal processing, it gives the album a concert Vibe, also the lyrics are very american culture coded, It's like ultraviolence but with faster tempos.
Also the two Lines "I am built like a Mother and a total machine" and "every Guy I like is gay" made me laugh out loud
Yes! I loved the way it did feel organically like you were at an underground show. Combined with good speakers it really feels like a fun set at a small club!
Olivia is a comedian!
Olivia is actually a genius but most people dismiss her as just another 'heartbreak songs' singer coz thats kinda how she packages her music. But there is SO much depth and beautiful lyricism in her music that many people don't realize at first glance. In my opinion, Liv can be so much bigger and better if she truly starts giving herself credit and stops trying to please everyone. People already say that she's a song stealer and that she's not original, but she doesn't clap back and defend herself strongly. I get that she's very kind (and that's amazing) but you can see in her songs how much pent up rage she has for the way she's been treated. She needs to start clapping back at people (in her own classy way) and stand tall and proud. She probably still feels very fresh-faced and new but some insecure people really might try to put her down so she has to be ready for that.
I love this album, she's grown a lot since Sour, and it's better. My fav is Teenage Dream. I cried through the whole song (and after it) and the voicenote at the end just killed me. I was ready to not like this song but here I am. Love ur video
That song genuinely destroyed me then I remembered my sister and brother who are sorta exiting that stage and it wrecked me again. The note at the end with Dan's daughter which is a "life moves on" but also a "oh no one day she'll do this too but I'll be there to help" which just wrecks me again. Thank you for the comment!
Thank you for mentioning that pretty isn’t pretty sounds like ghost by Katy Perry. I picked that up on the first listen. The whole song is very Katy coded and I love seeing that influence
I think Guts is such a good album and leaps above sour in terms of song quality. Excited to see what Olivia is able to continue to do
My top 5 currently are
get him back!
pretty isn’t pretty
bad idea right?
ballad of a homeschooled girl
making the bed
Katy's really more of an influence on Olivia than say Taylor in my honest opinion (especially after re-listening to One of The Boys).
Oh I actually agree that it's a tangible improvement over Sour.
AAAA! Ours is pretty close (same sings just a different order! I'd put bad idea right? just at 5 and maybe ballad at one) TASTE!
this album definitely felt looser and more confident to me compared to Sour, which I love. I'm not her target audience, but I can't help but admire her talent and spirit. its the pop-rock bangers that really work for me, especially All American Bitch and Bad Idea, right? I can imagine how hard this album will hit for teenage girls, it probably would have saved my life in 8th grade
i feel like hearing this makes me really think there are universal experiences and the context behind it (the younger crowd having different social media and etiquette and rules) being diff is really all that changes, i'm glad her gen and target demo get songs that'll definitely help them heal and navigate the world the way Lorde did for my gen's angsty girls or Avril did for the one before and so forth and so on
While listening to this I felt something cinematic about it, that any song of it will be perfect for any coming of age movie, I loved all the imagery that she evokes on her titles and concept, I think she just gets all of us as teens/young adults, because she’s one, she just gets it, we get to grow at the same time with her, feeling reflected and related to her experiences, I literally felt seen and that Olivia just put my life on those two albums, that now and always will be an unforgettable part of my teenage years, I feel happy and lucky to see an artist evolve and grow, love u liv 💜
You sort of put into words how I felt having Lorde’s first two records with me (I’m older haha) but I’m glad Liv is that artist for you! It’s a privilege to sort of find an artist that captures your journey in life!
Blown away. The lyrics resonate so well with where I'm at right now. I think I enjoy it more than her debut?!
I'm glad you found an album you resonated with, I had a couple friends tell me THIS is what Melodrama was for me. 😭 I enjoyed GUTS!
@@EljohnMacaranasit feels so weird to think that Melodrama came out 6 years ago. I could definitely see this being “this generation’s Melodrama”
@@erikdaniels0nmelodrama came out SIX YEARS AGO wow
@@EljohnMacaranasI was surprised like how does she get my feelings about a divorce? Talent.
@erikdaniels0n I think Melo still has a place to resonate with the younger gen and itself is a pretty timeless piece but I also agree that GUTS is gonna fill that space for the younger gen. I think the anxiety of the modern world has sorta shifted flavors from 2017 and the pop punk fits how awful everything can be! Like the rage is so real!
Music discourse is so toxic and ignorant now that she’ll never be able to properly mature past Sour
I think there's this invisible pressure to stay the same but also "evolve" so much. There's also the fact "everything's been done before" so like even the lightest homage feels like a total rip-off to some. I enjoyed the album but I do worry about how like younger artists get flack. Like there's valid criticism but people want to pick fights nowadays.
GUTS > SOUR 100000%, cannot stop listening omg
And you summed it up perfectly, as alwaaaaaaaays!
Aaaah always love to see ya in here!!! My fave creator mutual on here 🔥🔥🔥
ballad of a homeschooled girl is so autism-coded i love it
I know every artist aims to be relatable but she read my past 19 year old self for filth on that song
Guts deluxe tracks have already been “released” as vinyl bonuses. OBSESSED WITH OBSESSED
Oh I have Obsessed on vinyl! Should have been on the standard!
@@EljohnMacaranas it’s def gonna be the leading single for the deluxe to make sure she gets another few weeks on the charts
After 7 months it's FINALLY ON STREAMING PLATFORMS-
SOUR gave us a taste of Olivia, GUTS has me hooked on how internalized her artistry has become
what a way to follow up a breakthrough debut!!!
It’s such a well done record
Well said!
Omg I agree with this commentary! It really reflects on what I feel on the album. And yes, it avoided the sophomore slump and ues IT'S BETTER THAN SOUR!
PS. Finally someone noticed that the intro of AAB is similar to the intro of Joanne, thought its just me 😆
I genuinely think it's going to be someone's Melodrama the way the record was to me, I'm a bit old hat but I appreciate how well it captures being 19 or growing up so well. (AND THANK YOU, PPL SAID I WAS CRAZY FOR HEARING JOANNE)
Am I the only one who hears similarities between The Grudge and Drivers' License?
As for the album, Guts delved into a lot of different aspects of Olivia's life/mind that still interconnect with one another because they ARE interconnected, whereas Sour felt too one-note for me and a lot of people. Plus Guts was way more surgical and nuanced on the issues Sour only touched upon kind of "superficially" (for a lack of a better word, not in a bad way obviously). So at least lyrically, it's definitely better than the first.
I agree they seem to have some sorta chord similarity and the way the vocals escalate really call back to that song.
I really liked the way you said surgical, like there's songs that touch on the same sorta topics as Sour but like specifically about it. Like PiP really felt like it got to a more specific root to the problems she sang about in jealousy, jealousy.
GUTS album is GOLDEN! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved it! 💜💜💜💜💜
I love your analysis’ of things. This review was so great
Yay! Thank you! I try to sorta quickly summarize my thoughts but with enough detail to not just say "LOL I LOVED IT" or "lmao NO IS THIS BAD"
@@EljohnMacaranas the effort definitely shows! The review was clear and entertaining to listen to unlike many musical reviews.
i feel like guts was a great sophomore album. it didn't sound too different to sour, but also didn't sound to similar. she found a really good in-between and feel like it was a smooth transition from her debut. i'm excited to see what kind of sound she's going to strive for in her third album.
I want her to either really do a cool fun synthpop-y Melodrama with her own little stringy spin OR like pivot to a whole different genre! I’d follow her to the ends of the Earth!
I've been seeing some mixed fan opinions lately but to be honest I prefer GUTS to SOUR too!! I gave SOUR a few listens after it initially came out, but honestly, since then have not felt the desire to return to it. I think the sound and lyrics of this new record are more complex, interesting, and I can definitely see a lot of its songs falling into my regular rotation, especially vampire and get him back! But I'm all for embracing more pop punk/alt rock roots and I am really looking forward to where she decides to take her sound next!! (Also lacy is for sure a queer song in some way -- I saw someone online describe it as a track "for every girl that had to go through doomed homoerotic toxic friendship" and honestly??? I can't get it out of my head now)
Sour was on loop for me when it dropped just because of Traitor or Favorite Crime but dropped off within a few months. This one, I'm genuinely scared is gonna be in my rotations for longer than that! (Agreed on that take on Lacy haha)
So personally I found Sour to be a so-so album with Brutal and Good 4 U being the standout songs though after listening closer to the lyrics for some songs i have come to appreciate the album more. Honestly, I was surprised with the childish high school vibes of Guts given her hints it would be a more mature release so I am now curious how her 3rd album will sound when she is now well past her teenage years. Personally, on first listen I definitely liked this album more since it just catered more to the rock sound of Sour. The Grudge is definitely my favorite ballad due to the obvious jab at Taylor tho it reminds me a lot of Driver's License with the whispery vocals.
I feel like GUTS is purposefully bratty in a sense but I do think the next album is probably going to be a true reinvention just because of transitioning in age, sound and look!
@@EljohnMacaranas maybe her 3rd album will have the maturity of Solar Power
I was waiting for your stamp of approval before I sat down to listen. I’m excited now
I’m honored haha! But yes, I think at the very least there are a couple bops on here that speak to my late millennial depressed former corporate slave self haha
Julia Michaels credit and a George Orwell reference! This is up my alley. Love the new record from Olivia and your review. 👏👏👏
Ps no one reads these right? 😂
I’m gen x and Olivia makes me feel seen. She channels so many of my favs. Courtney Love, Romeo Void, Beck, Lush, and the breeders. Not copies, just inspiration.
I was so gagged reading the credits and producers and shook she pulled off a clever simple Orwellian reference. Thank you for watching! Love to see you back in the comments as always! 💜
Honestly, I think she has a love and reverence for that time period in a way she wants us to think of those artists and discover her own faves. I find the plagiarism takes so disingenuous.
tbh I think that assigning lacy homosexual undertones might take away from the message that societal expectations create this extreme sense of competition between girls and the "girl experience" in general. (this is coming from a bisexual girlie so dw its not because I don't want her to be gay lmao)
tbh i do think that take’s far closer to the actual intention but Olivia… like between this and Obsessed… you are lighting a flame you cannot douse out 😭
@@EljohnMacaranas haha you’re probably right
I'm not sure who you're listening to, but more often than not an artists' sophomore album does way better than their debut. Britney's Oops, Christina's Stripped, Shania's Come On Over, Lady A's Need You Now, Backstreet Boys' Backstreets' Back, *Nysnc's No Strings Attached, Taylor Swift's Fearless, Jojo's The High Road, Miley Cyrus' Breakout, Charlie Puth's Voicenotes, Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway, Lights' Siberia and Shawn Mendes' Illuminate.
Oh bestie, even though my channel is pop oriented… a lot of the indie and alt and sometimes RnB ppl I listen to have had awful second records or records that def were not as good
My favorite track well it's hard to choose right now but I would say love is embarrassing, logical and get him back!
OMG love those three! Mine so far are def ballad of a homeschooled girl, get him back, and making the bed but they keep changing!
Found your channel today and binge-watched your videos. I appreciate your take on "GUTS".
Thank you!!! 💜💜💜
Definitely beats the sophomore slump! Can't wait for her next album!
The tour selling out so fast… stadiums next era!
@@EljohnMacaranas I know I'm hoping to purchase her tickets very soon! 💜
I respect that she’s maturing with her music, but personally - I didn’t really like it. And it makes me sad because I love sour so much, but I don’t know - it’s not really doing it for me. The only track I ever see myself going back to is vampire.
I honestly do think respect your take. I think this album's lean towards rock was going to mess with the fans who really loved the balladry and mid-tempo stuff on SOUR.
Just wondering what do you think you dont like about it? To me it just seems to be sour but better. The pop rock songs have more personality and amazing hooks. And the ballads are so much more interesting and different to one another. The ones on sour all kinda blend together in my opinion and the writing is so much more refined and amazing. I respect your opinion just wondered what it is about Guts??
@@AlexGoZoom That’s so interesting to me because my opinion is the exact opposite. I’m not the biggest fan of rock as a genre, so I think it’s all quite a lot to take in. I think I’m just gonna need time with the project for me to fully appreciate it.
@endedbyari I get that. She's definitely leaned a lot more into the rock side of things on this album which she was only really experimenting with on sour. I can see why to someone who's not huge on rock would find it a bit much
there's a lot of sophomore albums that are really good despite the popularity or the critics. i could name a few. Diamonds & Dancefloors by Ava Max is so good. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry??? literally pop bible. Fearless by Taylor Swift, iconic. Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa too
my fav song was get him back and ballad of a homeless girl!
OMG! Those two are some of my faves! ballad of a homeschooled girl had me so gagged! get him back has some of the funniest lines ever!
@@EljohnMacaranas I know when she talked about when she met him on the internet but he was kissing guys my jaw was on the floor!!!!
@brycenmyers I had to pause it and repeat it! Like the flow on the track is so smooth it flew over my head until I went “girl, i’m so sorry u went through that 😭”
BALLAD OF A *HOMELESS* GIRL PLSSSS 😭😭😭😭
@@jakekitaro4795 💀😭
for some reason i really want a hyperpop remix of 'get him back' lol
YES! A 100 Gecs remix would eat!
5:23 Finally, Somebody said it, I thought I was hearing things😂😂😂
This album is so much better than Sour, it's crazy. The potential was there in Sour, but it was drenched in ballads that did nothing to a 27 yo woman. Well, 2 years later and this 29 yo woman instantly went back to her 14 yo self while listening, in the summer of 2009, full of angst, listening to Weezer, Panic!, The all American rejects, block party, cranberries and evanescence, crying all summer long over the worst fight I've ever had with my best friend and mourning the loss of the friendship.
Full grown adults that condemn this album for being childish, probably forgot how weird, cringe and awkward being 20 is. This album IS childish, in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
A few thoughts: all-American
might be top 5 openers of the year, ballad of a homeschooled girl is my favorite (I mean "every time I step outside, it's social suicide" daaamn girl, can u be more relatable?!). Logical is the best ballad on here, thank u Julia Michaels. The singles come alive in the context of the album. I predict Pretty isn't pretty is going to be an underrated deep cut, that not a lot of people will talk about, that's why I'll be in my little corner on the internet gushing over it, cause it's SO GOOD.
In a not so serious note, I can't wait for her to get a little bit older, and her teenage angst gets replaced with real adult depression. Dark, industrial syntpop, here we come!
Great video as always, I don't know how u manage to write, record, edit and release it just one day after release, our hard working king 🙏
Aaaah I love seeing your comments and thank you so much for your support on this channel! 🩵 It means the world to me!
Honestly, I had a feeling that people in our demo were gonna love this more than Sour just because of the punky immature sorta sound! God I miss rebellion and being a lost kiddo sometimes (but also mot really!)
Your picks are so good! Omg ballad of a homeschooled girl needs to be a single or get a house party Superbad inspired music video! Logical’s bound to be the downtempo late single tbh!
Oh I’m ready for 25 year old “wtf the world is awful like fuck” album!
Haha I was keeling over my laptop and juggling social responsibilities while working on this! (I may have recorded a bit of this at an on and off fling’s house 😭)
Supporting u and your content has been the easiest decision I've ever made.
Also, "wtf the world is awful like fuck" needs to be an album title, asap!
Pretty isn’t Pretty enough sounds similar to Katy Perry’s Ghost
I searched up its chord progression and it’s literally the same! Which happens quite a bit in pop but yeah!
OMG I knew it was similar to a song on PRISM, I just couldn't remember which
I respect your opinion, but isn’t a bit early to tell if it’s a flop or not? Great insights, don’t get me wrong, but the album was only released on Friday.
Thanks for the comment. I get ahead of myself sometimes. But I do think it's done a great job on the critical side and generated like 2 top 10 hits, I think the only bars left to clear are sales numbers and Grammy nods. I do know the tour is going to be hell to get tickets to. I do think there isn't an outright smash the way Good 4 U was (at least not yet) but I also do think the album's promo narrative has never been "we're going to top SOUR commercially" bc that's a bit of a fool's errand. For me at least, I do think it's been a solid run so far.
@@EljohnMacaranas That’s fair! Personally, I love the UnHiNGed energy of the some of the material on here - reminds me of Weezer’s Pinkerton in that way! Either way (cult or mainstream), I think this album will find an audience! 🤘😊🤘
i thought i was the only one who thinks that pretty isnt pretty's chorus sounds similar to ghost 😂 hahaha, i love it sm tho!
I started singing the chorus and I was like… hold on… NOW YOU’RE JUST A GHOST! Game recognizes game!
Nothing on the bonus track "Obsessed"?? It's on certain versions of the vinyl at the end after "Teenage Dream"...the whole album is great, fave track is "Love is Embarrassing"...
Oh I’ve heard them but not in HQ! It’s a solid cut that really leans into the darker production elements, almost like a B-Side to Lacy in subject matter
I have to say "making the bed" is my favorite track right now!
I’m so glad someone’s picked it! It’s been a fave of mine and no one is talking about it! The instrumental break midsong is so gorgeous!
I think you should do an analysis on Willow’s most recent album vs. her others
I love punk rock music I heavily listened to it during my teen years but this was a miss for me. Personally, I felt like it was all over the place production wise and sometimes even lyrically. I don't think it'll flop alot of people seem to really enjoy it. I do like some songs of it lacy, pretty isnt pretty, and teenage dream. However from the way it was being promoted I thought it was going to be a happier album but it wasnt. It sounds like Guts was meant for her 17 tear old self going thru teen rage and then Sour was for her 19 year old self who is having closure in her teenage hood and ready to take on her adult life. I feel like because brutal and good 4 u did so well she felt like she needed to make an entire album of it. I just think there were parts that felt too chaotic.
Please dont come for me people this is just my opinion. I love her other music except this wasnt it for me. Its not a bad album it just isnt for me. I know it will do good. Everyone has been paising it so it will for sure break records. She already secured a strong fan base.
Honestly I think criticism (esp when you put it like that) is fair, especially considering the way this album definitely being more of a yang to Sour's yin. It's definitely not going to win over anyone who wasn't onboard for a particular sound of hers.
do you think theres any validity to the rumors that 'the grudge' and/or 'vampire' might be directed at taylor? alot of people think there was some drama with taylor coming for her royalties. its also weird because i dont think cruel summer and deja vu sound anything alike.....taylor cannot own the concept of chanting a bridge lol.
Olivia herself said that she was surprised by the rumors because they make no sense. And Taylor did not know about the credits. Jack Antonoff said that one day they woke up and Olivia had given the credits to them because of the whole comparing songs thing and because they had used an interpolation of cruel Summer.
Vampire is definitely 💯 NOT about Taylor at all. The Grudge would be a better fit for that sorta narrative imho but even then I do think to a degree there was some sorta “never meet your heroes” moment for Liv. Which is a shame!
Unpopular opinion but for me it’s not really it. All of Sour was a teenage girl blaming her ex for all the hurt she’s been through. With the release of vampire as a first single there is nothing new. I was impressed by the second single. I found it interesting and also the music video was great. It was catchy and it was an escape from all of the ballads we were used to. So I thought I might give GUTS a try. Musically, nothing new as in instrumentals and vocals, I hear a little bit of Avril, a little bit of Billie but nothing too exciting or never seen before. I am sorry. BUT I think she still has a potential to grow even bigger.
RIGHT OMG LIKE ITS GOOD, BUT I WANTED MORE 😭😭😭
I think that's a fair assessment to make. I was a huge fan of Sour and the influences so I was sorta the perfect mark in a way. It makes me happy but I do recognize that she definitely has room to improve and potential.
No fr like I love GUTS but I was really expecting it to be a little more different than SOUR. I love all of the tracks but they really just sound like the same songs from SOUR. But other than that, it's an amazing album and she definitely improved since SOUR. I actually like GUTS more than SOUR lol.
She is still growing though.
GUTS is a very meh album honestly. I'm having a hard time finding any song that I love so far the only one I like is Bad Idea Right?
It’s kinda cool seeing the across the board reactions about the album, I haven’t seen a major album have like mixed consensus in a bit, it’s usu r good or let’s forget it! What exactly didn’t you like?
@@EljohnMacaranas in all honesty it's just missing something to me it all sounds like sour reject songs. It feels like an album full of filler songs. Obviously her singles are gonna sell because it's her but when you compare vampire to any single of sour it's just not a memorable track for me. The album feels non memorable. When I heard Brutal I was hooked right away same with Good 4 You and my personal fav Enough For You with this album im finding myself having to replay to try n like something besides Bad Idea Right but so far I haven't found anything I love.
Omg same
I felt the same way. There aren't songs I would actively go back to compared to her first singles from sour. So far I have seen positive reviews and everyone seems to really love it. She will for sure sell enough. She has a big enough fan base for it but I just couldn't get into it. It's actually nice to see some other people agree with me I felt like such an outlier lol.
My only complaint is that each song on the second half of the album starts really slow -
I feel like the whole thing with Olivia is the bridges or the switch up mid song. But I do agree a few songs did take time to really pick up
It’s not an Ultraviolence to Born to Die
I hope she wins some Grammys, cause Guts is better than Midnights in my opinion (or at least more relatable)
I feel like AOTY is probably going to SZA this year but Best Pop Vocal is a solid contest!
I am still mad that she didn’t win any
22:22
Make a wish!
It really ended horribly
????
oh dear ....... her sound has not aged well at all .
What do you mean?
I am BEGGING you to make a video on Maggie Lindemann!!!!