Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album GUTS was released on September 8th, 2023 and since then we have been anxiously awaiting the release of the deluxe version of the album (quick self-promo, I actually wrote an article when the original album came out, so you should totally give that a look!). Anyways, in the most iconic way possible, Olivia announced the release of GUTS (spilled) at her concert in Chicago on Wednesday, which would contain tracks like the highly anticipated “obsessed”, “stranger”, “scared of my guitar”, and “girl i’ve always been”. These four have been released on separate vinyl variants, so having them on streaming would be extremely convenient. However, as a shock, she also announced a new track (and my personal favourite), “so american”.
With the release of the original GUTS album, “obsessed” was already one of those songs on the deluxe vinyl that automatically started trending. So much so that before GUTS (spilled) was released, “obsessed” was added to Olivia’s setlist for her current tour. “obsessed” is one of those songs that just encapsulates the female experience as Rodrigo sings about being so obsessed with stalking someone’s ex-girlfriend. Which, let’s be honest, we have all been there. We have all stalked a little bit more than we should have and ended up on Instagram profiles that we probably shouldn’t know about. This song is a fan favourite and also came with a music video which was released with the deluxe album. It features numerous ‘perfect’ women who all represent ex-girlfriends as Rodrigo places them on a metaphorical pedestal. “obsessed” embodies what Rodrigo does with all of her songs — she takes moments that are the definition of girlhood and manages to put them into a song perfectly.
My friend perfectly described “so american” as being a happy “love is embarrassing”, which is track 9 from the original release of GUTS. Fans have been very accurately analyzing the song as being about Louis Partridge, who has been spotted with Olivia before her tour and at a number of her shows. With lyrics such as “And he laughs at all my jokes / And he says I’m so American”, this is clearly Rodrigo’s first love song about a man who kindly pokes fun at her for being “so american” (lines 6-7). This song is just so sweet and it’s a cool shift to see since her songs about relationships typically focus on heartbreak. The pair are also just super cute together and I’m obsessed (no pun intended).
Like many Olivia fans, I already thought GUTS was a phenomenal album, but these bonus tracks really seal the deal for me. Her talent and range shine through these five tracks going from the grunge-rock of “obsessed” to a more alternative/indie sound of “girl i’ve always been”, and somehow all of these tracks manage to be impeccable with genuinely no skips on the entire album. GUTS (spilled) enhances the original album experience and I cannot wait to see what more Olivia has to offer in the future.