Olivia Rodgrigo Extended Album Review: “GUTS (spilled)” 4.8/5

PHOTO CREDIT: Genius Holdings

By Ava Giovannettone

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

An album that covers depression, break ups, teenage angst, and the insecurities that come with being a teenage girl, Olivia Rodrigo’s second album “GUTS” is perfect if you need music to cry to. Rodrigo clearly thought this album needed some happier and more hopeful songs on it, because on March 19, 2024, Rodrigo announced at one of her shows in Chicago that there would be a deluxe version of her album coming out called “GUTS (spilled)”. On March 22, 2024, five new tracks were added to the album: “obsessed”, “girl i’ve always been”, “scared of my guitar”, “stranger”, and “so american.” These new tracks added a more joyful ending to an album filled with mostly sad songs. As per usual, Rodrigo’s songwriting in this album is unique, fun, poetic and powerful.  

Track 13: “Obsessed” 5/5

A song that’s unfortunately relatable to a lot of people, Rodrigo wrote “Obsessed” about what it feels like to be hung up on the person that your current significant other was with before you. With a mix of piano, bass guitar, and drums, the lighthearted and rock-and-roll like tempo does a great job of showing the emotions Rodrigo writes about in the song. What I love the most about this song is how raw and real she is in her songwriting. She’s not afraid to tell how she’s really feeling. In the first pre chorus, she says, “Cause I know her star sign/ I know her blood type/ I’ve seen every movie she’s been in and oh God, she’s beautiful”. She’s telling how she truly feels, which is what makes her songwriting so special. I’m obsessed with this song.

Track 14: “Girl I’ve Always Been” 4.5/5

This is a song about being imperfect, being yourself, and being okay with it. She writes lyrics about no longer caring what people think, doing what she wants, being who she is, and being the “girl she’s always been.” An upbeat tune with the main instrument being guitar, with barely any autotune, this song feels especially authentic. One of my favorite lines is, “I got captors I call friends/ I got panic rooms inside my head”, explaining common problems like a lack of having real friends, and experiencing high levels of anxiety. She takes familiar feelings of anxiety and panic that most people have, and turns it into a poetic, but also lighthearted and relatable song. 

Track 15: “Scared of My Guitar” 5/5

Throughout Rodrigo’s music career, it’s clear that songwriting is important to her. But she rarely explicitly talks about it in her songs. In this song Rodrigo talks about not wanting to admit to herself how she really feels about a relationship, but knows that if she writes a song about it, her true feelings will come out. She writes, “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”. This is an important song because it talks about the harsh reality of a relationship that on the outside seems “perfect”. And even though there’s nothing inherently wrong with her significant other, it still doesn’t feel right for some reason. She writes about this feeling, “Perfect, easy, so good to me/ So why’s there a pit in my gut in the shape of you?”

Track 16: “Stranger” 5/5

This song takes a more positive perspective on a break up, as Rodrigo writes about her experience losing someone important to her, but coming out on the other side and realizing that she’s better off without them. She writes, “’Cause I was half myself without you, now I feel so complete/ And I can’t even remember what made me lose all that sleep”. To me, this song was a perfect addition to “GUTS”, because nearly all the other break-up songs on the album are about being sad, missing the person, or trying to get revenge. “Stranger” on the other hand, is an upbeat and cheerful song that expresses feelings of forgiveness and acceptance. She writes, “Oh, but I hope that you’re happy, babe, you know I really do/ And God knows that I am the girl I am because of you”. She acknowledges the fact that they were once a huge part of her life, but they’re not anymore. And that’s okay. “I cried a million rivers for you, but that’s over now/ You’re just a stranger I know everything about”. 

Track 17: “So American” 4.5/5

“So American” isn’t only a unique, heartwarming and catchy love song, it’s the first song about romantic love Rodrigo has ever released on an album. What I love about this song is how specific it is towards her partner, him being from london, she writes about how he calls her “so American” in a playful and loving manner. “He laughs at all my jokes/ And he says I’m ‘so American’”. Her songwriting does a great job of making her come across as a lovestruck teenage girl, one who can’t talk or think about anything but her boyfriend. “Oh I’m so boring/ And so rude/ Can’t have one conversation if it’s not all about you”. The upbeat instrumentals and rock-and-roll like sound make it a great song to scream in the car and dance to in your room, while still having poetic and uniquely thought of lyrics.