On Friday, Olivia Rodrigo released “GUTS (spilled),” a deluxe version of her sophomore album.
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter announced via Instagram that “GUTS (spilled)” would feature five new songs.
“obsessed” is a hard-rock, high-energy track in which the singer describes her fascination with a current partner’s ex.
“’Cause I know her star sign, I know her blood type/ I’ve seen every movie she’s been in,” Rodrigo admits on the track.
The lyrics harken back to Rodrigo’s song “deja vu” where she sings “Another actress/ I hate to think that I was just your type.”
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“I’m so obsessed with your ex/ I know she’s been asleep on my side of your bed/ And I can feel it/ I’m starin’ at her like I wanna get hurt,” Rodrigo sings.
While some internet stalkers might feel embarrassed of their habits, Rodrigo doesn’t seem to be ashamed in the least. She indulges in her obsession as the track turns into a rock ’n’ roll anthem that listeners can scream-sing.
The electric guitar shredding and heavy drums attach it perfectly to tracks “all-american bitch” and “ballad of a homeschooled girl” of the original album.
Rodrigo has since released a music video for “obsessed,” depicting her as an outcast in a traditional “coming out” ceremony for high-class women.
Each girl wears a sash with the description of an ex-girlfriend, while Rodrigo’s sash reads “Miss Right Now.”
On “girl i’ve always been,” the artist admits that aspects of her may be unconventional, but denies ever hiding them.
“Well, I have captors I call friends/ I got panic rooms inside my head/ And I get down with crooked men/ But I am the girl I’ve always been,” Rodrigo sings.
The track is upbeat and folky, featuring percussive and chunky guitar bits that resemble Harry Styles’s “Canyon Moon.”
Her vocal inflections almost mimic a yodel, similar to those of Alanis Morissette or Joni Mitchell.
“scared of my guitar” is soft and honest, anchored intentionally by a singular acoustic guitar.
“But I’m so scared of my guitar/ ’Cause it cuts right through to the heart/ Yeah, it knows me too well so I got no excuse/ I can’t lie to it the same way that I lie to you,” the 21-year-old confesses.
Writing songs seems to force Rodrigo to face her true feelings about the person she is with.
“If I was brave and noble like you/ I’d have the nerve to just stop stringin’ you along/ But I’m not half as decent as you/ I’d rather be tied to someone, even if they’re wrong,” she admits.
On “stranger,” the lyrics and upbeat guitar illustrate a wise acceptance of a past heartbreak.
“’Cause I was half myself without you and now I feel so complete/ And I can’t even remember what made me lose all that sleep/ I criеd a million rivers for you, but that’s over now/ You’re just a strangеr I know everything about,” she sings.
She seems to communicate from a healed place, simplifying a previous relationship into “a strangеr I know everything about.”
“so american” is lyrically joyful from beginning to end, a first for Rodrigo.
“Drivin’ on the right-side road/ He says I’m pretty wearin’ his clothes/ And he’s got hands that make hell seem cold/ Feet on the dashboard, he’s like a poem I wish I wrote,” she details.
The star paints a vivid picture of an American and a European falling in love.
“I’ll go anywhere he goes/ And he says I’m so American/ Oh God, I’m gonna marry him/ If he keeps this shit up/ I might just be in love,” the singer declares.
The track is anchored by the electric bass and heavy drums, much like “GUTS” originals “get him back!” and “bad idea right?”
The deluxe tracks seem to mark a shift in both Rodrigo’s romantic perspective and self-image yet, sonically, preserve the angst and insecurity of the original album.
