June 30, 2023, Olivia Rodrigo took the internet by storm with the release of her brand new single, “Vampire,” which is one of the lead tracks for her sophomore album Guts, releasing on September 8th under Geffen Records. 

Rodrigo teased the song in a video playing music with Dan Nigro five months ago, who helped produce both her previous music and current work.

 The song was released two full years after the release of her first album Sour, which built a cult following, especially with the previous single “Driver’s License.” The track is clearly killing it, with the song receiving 300,000 views on YouTube within the first minute of release.

Fans were already beginning to speculate about what the song would sound like and took to TikTok to post their own imagined versions. Many feature soft vocals reminiscent of those on the later tracks on Sour. However, it becomes apparent that the single is somewhat a departure from the sound on her first album. 

While previous tracks like “brutal” and “good 4 u” did feature a more heavy sound in comparison to the rest of the album, this track takes it to a whole new level with a steady progression that builds to the end of the song. 

“Vampire” begins with very soft vocals that feel like a ballad, reminiscent of the beginning stages of a breakup when there’s mostly sadness involved. The song progressively gets angrier, calling the subject of the song a “fame fucker,” among other remarks that pack a punch like “girls your age know better.” The imagery of someone sucking her dry also truly helps to highlight how much she went through during this time, and the imagery of a vampire feels like the perfect way to get that across.

Rodrigo herself is a big fan of the movie franchise Twilight, and over the course of time she has posted about being on Team Edward. She also posted yesterday a drawing that she did as a kid about Edward and Bella, so there was no other perfect way to honor both her interests and her romantic experiences. 

 Not to mention that the song features her range in a way that we’ve never seen before, and it’s clear to see that she is feeling more confident in the vocals that she can perform on her tracks. However, she remains true to the style that she always carries with her music, and the personal touch to her experiences is always being explored. 

The music video directed by Petra Collins also perfectly captures this crescendo with visuals that start off normal and become more bloody and intense as things go on, with camera equipment crashing down at an awards ceremony. The music video shows a crowd watching Olivia like a spectacle, only to be chased out by security, leaving the feeling of the artist more and more public for everybody to watch until the video comes to an end by a highway. 

Rodrigo has been in relationships with older partners in the past and appears to be speaking about those experiences over the course of the song. It feels like a natural progression from her other music, going from more self-critical lyrics about feeling like the inferior girl in a situation to now being more sure of herself and who she is when talking about her relationships. 

In light of the new song, the artist went live on Instagram to celebrate with fans, and there was also a fan meet-up in New York in order to get posters, t-shirts, and more. It was also announced that she will be doing a performance on The Today Show on the date that the album releases, so there are many things to look forward to with this new stage of her career.

If this single is any indication, it’s clear that people are highly anticipating Guts and that the album will bring together a new layer of Rodrigo’s creativity and sound by exploring these things in a way that is raw and honest. To keep updated with any news on the album or upcoming releases, you can follow Olivia Rodrigo on Instagram, and you can also pre-order the vinyl. It’s clear that Rodrigo has something special in store, with no indication of slowing down on her creative endeavors.