Olivia Rodrigo has returned with ‘Vampire’, her first single since 2021’s Sour. It’s taken from her sophomore album GUTS, which was announced earlier this week. The track arrives with an accompanying video directed by Petra Collins, who also helmed the videos for ‘good 4 u’ and ‘brutal’. Watch and listen below.
Rodrigo made ‘Vampire’ with producer Daniel Nigro, who worked with her on her debut. Speaking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the new song and the album title GUTS, Rodrigo said:
I wrote the song on the piano, super chill, in December of last year. And my producer Dan and I finished it in January and finished writing it. And I’ve just always been really obsessed with songs that are very dynamic. My favorite songs are high and low, and reel you in and spit you back out. And so we wanted to do a song where it just crescendoed the entire time and it reflects the pent-up anger that you have for a situation.
I had [the title GUTS for a long time. I had it actually when I was making SOUR. I’m like, “I want the next one to be GUTS.” I had it in my head. I’m like, “Four letters, all caps, just like SOUR.” I love it. I just think it’s an interesting word. People use it in so many interesting contexts, like spill your guts. Hate your guts, I think is a really interesting term. Means bravery, but it also means intuition, like listen to your gut. I just think it’s all of these things that coincidentally were things that I’ve really been thinking about in this chapter.
GUTS is set for release on September 8 via Geffen. “For me, this album is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life,” Rodrigo said in a press release. “I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20—it was such an intense period of awkwardness and change. I think that’s all just a natural part of growth, and hopefully the album reflects that.”
