The most exciting new release in the past month or so was definitely Olivia Rodrigo’s latest effort, Guts. I’ve been looking forward to her next move ever since her 2021 debut album Sour made such an impact.
I’m happy to report that Guts tops its predecessor. Rather than suffer a sophomore slump, Rodrigo has refined and sharpened her sound and delivered a batch of songs even more confident and electric.
While this is certainly the age of Taylor Swift, and Rodrigo admires Swift as both an artist and an influence, Guts is in a very different lane. The touchstones here are the 90s alternative rock of Alanis Morissette and the ’00s pop punk of Avril Lavigne. Rodrigo loves to get loud, to let out a primal scream on the heels of her harmonies.
Lyrically, Rodrigo is traversing the treacherous minefield of young womanhood. About half the tracks deal with heartbreak, but she also delves into jealousy, social anxiety, and the unfair expectations that come with being a woman in the modern age.
‘Pretty Isn’t Pretty’ is a great example of the latter, and currently my favorite song on the album. Over a fabulous backing track that hearkens back to The Cure, Rodrigo bemoans the exhausting process of chasing “some dumb ideal” her “whole fucking life.”
It’s a pleasure and a thrill watching her navigate that chase.
Bought a bunch of makeup, tryna cover up my face
I started to skip lunch, stopped eatin’ cake on birthdays
I bought a new prescription to try and stay calm
‘Cause there’s always somethin’ missin’
There’s always somethin’ in the mirror that I think looks wrong
[Chorus]
When pretty isn’t pretty enough, what do you do?
And everybody’s keepin’ it up, so you think it’s you
I could change up my body and change up my face
I could try every lipstick in every shade
But I’d always feel the same
‘Cause pretty isn’t pretty enough anyway
[Verse 2]
You can win the battle, but you’ll never win the war
You fix thе things you hated, and you’d still feel so insecure
And I try to ignorе it, but it’s everythin’ I see
It’s on the poster on the wall, it’s in the shitty magazines
It’s in my phone, it’s in my head, it’s in the boys I bring to bed
It’s all around, it’s all the time, I don’t know why I even try
[Chorus]
When pretty isn’t pretty enough, what do you do?
And everybody’s keepin’ it up, so you think it’s you
I could change up my body and change up my face
I could try every lipstick in every shade
But I’d always feel the same
‘Cause pretty isn’t pretty enough
[Bridge]
And I bought all the clothes that they told me to buy
I chased some dumb ideal my whole fucking life
And none of it matters, and none of it ends
You just feel like shit over and over again
[Outro]
No, it’ll never change
Pretty isn’t pretty enough, mmm
Everybody’s keepin’ it up, oh
Pretty isn’t pretty enough
Pretty isn’t
Meet Me In Montauk 
Whoa, you’re right on the money with the Cure reference for the backing track. It’s a good song.
I can understand why you like this song. It’s got a great beat and lyrics.
Her talent was evident from the first album. Glad to see she is continuing to grow and evolve as an artist.