Olivia Rodrigo poses in a bedroom set-up for Variety to promote her new “bedroom pop” album. Photo from Variety via Larissa Hoffman.

The release of “Driver’s License” in 2020 along with the debut album “SOUR” by Olivia Rodrigo left us all in our sad girl eras during the pandemic. Well, Rodrigo returns to the bedroom pop vibe with her sophomore album “GUTS,” featuring the promotional single “Vampire” which gained millions of streams on streaming platforms.

Rodrigo is one of this generation’s Disney Channel stars turned rising pop star. She generally focuses on self-made indie music, typically considered “bedroom pop.” Rodrigo is commonly known for her romantic involvement with fellow former Disney star, Joshua Bassett. Her debut album is speculated to be about her experiences with him and their relationship.

After over 2 years without new music, Rodrigo teased “Vampire” on her social media and began promotion for her sophomore album. “Vampire” was released on June 30 and promotion for “GUTS” began shortly after. The album was released on Sept. 8 with 12 tracks with exclusive tracks only on the vinyl, split into the colors and title of the album.

This album continues her adult teenage fantasy with tracks like “Bad Idea Right?” and “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl.” The album features more alt-rock songs like “Get Him Back” and “Bad Idea Right,” which complement the songs from “SOUR” of the same genre. In this type of sound, Rodrigo brings the thoughts straight from a teenage girl’s head to Spotify for us to bob our heads to.

The track “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” has gained attention over social media for unexpected reasons. “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” throws a diss at Rodrigo’s past crush and Basset with the lyric “Every guy I like is gay.” Bassett had a rumored fling with Rodrigo and fellow former Disney star Sabrina Carpenter. With the rumors of his and Rodrigo’s status, the actor came out as gay in 2020, shortly before the release of Rodrigo’s debut single.

A personal favorite from the songs released is “Pretty Isn’t Pretty.” This song takes the hard-core standards men and social media have put onto women and feminine-identifying individuals. Rodrigo lyricizes her thoughts on the beauty standard and her own struggles with her appearance in this track which may resonate with many today.

While “SOUR” delivers the feeling of lost romance, “GUTS” tracklist provides us with a solemn revenge. Rodrigo continues to pursue a music career and many fans look forward to her next release.