After Sour became a cultural earthquake, Olivia Rodrigo faced the impossible pressure of a follow-up and chose the terrifying path of getting louder, angrier and more complicated. This episode is a deep dive into Guts, her 2023 sophomore album, and how she used the crushing weight of expectation to rebel against it entirely.

The story covers her deliberate six-month songwriting pause to actually live a life, her reunion with producer Dan Nigro, and a sonic pivot into pop-punk, grunge and shoegaze. It also unpacks her theatrical vocal delivery, the album's feminist commentary, its inventive rollout and its record-breaking commercial and touring success.

• Why she abstained from writing for six months to have something authentic to say
• How the heavier sound drew on the 90s alt-rock her parents raised her on
• All Americ ...