The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
Taken from GrammyAwards
When Olivia Rodrigo dropped GUTS back in September, I was in love. Being her second studio album after her breakout album SOUR went four times platinum, GUTS had a lot to live up to. The album met all those expectations and then some, easily being my most streamed album of all time. However, Rodrigo wasn’t done with GUTS just yet. Different versions of the vinyl for GUTS had separate exclusive songs, correlating to what letter was shiny on the album art. All four of the songs were repackaged into one vinyl exclusively for record store day in November as GUTS: The Secret Tracks. With these tracks getting an official-unofficial release, it led many fans to ponder if they would be put onto the album proper. Thankfully, in March during her Chicago concert for GUTS World Tour, Rodrigo finally announced that GUTS Deluxe—officially titled GUTS (Spilled)—would release that Friday. After staying up until midnight to hear the tracks as soon as they released and countless re-listens, it’s time to see if GUTS (Spilled) adds onto the amazing album that was GUTS, or if these tracks were better left as secrets.
A Spill of Different Sounds
The bonus tracks kick off with "Obsessed," which is also the latest single. The song details Rodrigo’s insecurities, comparing herself to her new partner’s ex. It’s another example of the type of music Rodrigo does perfectly: pop-rock. The chorus has a perfect “calm before the storm” feeling, with the chorus starting off very calm in sound, leading into punchy lyrics before the sound spikes in intensity with the backing synth and drums, adding a lot of character into the song. The verses are certainly a lot more mellow compared to the chorus but that doesn’t mean they are bad at all; if anything it allows the chorus and the bridge to hit harder. The rest of the tracks are all very different compared to Rodrigo’s other music. "Girl I’ve Always Been" is a very short, barely two minute country track, far different from the rest of her ballads and pop-rock songs. While it isn’t a bad song by any means, the short length and the wildly different sound leads to this track being the one I’ve easily come back to the least. However, it is exciting to see Rodrigo breakout of her normal sound and leads to speculation on what her next album could be.
Taken from Instagram
Exclusively for GUTS (Spilled) is "So American," a full-blown love song for her newest partner, Louis Partridge. The song is a fast, catchy, happy sounding song that stands out from the rest of her catalog in the best way possible. Unlike "Girl I’ve Always Been" using a different genre then what Rodrigo is used to, "So American" stays in the pop genre, but uses the vast variety of styles pop music can have to create something that sounds undeniably like Olivia Rodrigo, but different from anything else. It’s not fast and loud in an angry way, it’s fast and loud in a happy way, Rodrigo making sure she has your attention to tell you how much she loves this man. It’s so much fun and fans—myself included—are really hoping whatever her next album is contains more love songs, as she crushed it the first time around. And in the middle of the bonus tracks is "Scared of my Guitar" and "Stranger," two songs I saved for last because of how well they work together. When listening to GUTS, something that stuck out to me is a distinct lack of guitar ballads like what featured prominently on SOUR. The guitar barely makes an appearance on the record, and when it is, it’s usually accompanied with other instruments. This is why "Scared of my Guitar" and "Stranger" work so well, as they are the album’s main guitar ballads. They also work very well thematically, as "Scared of my Guitar" is about Rodrigo faking being happy in a relationship when she is emotionally not there, and "Stranger" is her being free from a relationship and re-experiencing how nice being single is. These tracks, especially in how similarly they sound and how they’re placed right next to each other on the album, read to be about the before and after of the same relationship breaking up. It harkens back to her songs on SOUR while also showing how Rodrigo has evolved as a musician as these tracks are very distinct from each other, an issue SOUR had where all the songs kinda blended together.
Spilling Her Lyrical Guts
While the songs all sound great, Rodrigo’s biggest strength comes from her lyrical abilities. Coming from the acting world, Rodrigo has always written her songs like monologues in a play, with biting metaphors and delivery that makes you feel every emotion she is feeling. This is a trend that continues into GUTS (Spilled). In obsessed, you can feel the insanity and jealousy in lines like, “And I remember every detail you have ever told me / So be careful, baby,” and, “But every time you call my name, I think you mistake me for her,” which go to show how much Rodrigo overthinks about every little way she can be better than his ex while still constantly thinking she is worse than her. The line deliveries on the “ha-huh” after the second verse and the line, “No, I'm fine, it doesn't matter, tell me,” also show how depraved and desperate she is, as they’re sung in such demeaning ways. "So American" has so many cutesy lines sung in cutesy ways, like the way you can almost hear Rodrigo bite her lip on the line, “He says I’m pretty wearin’ his clothes,” because she’s so flattered by the comment. "Scared of my Guitar" tells a story by having Rodrigo start by reassuring her boyfriend she’s happy, then reassuring her friends, then reassuring herself, all while being scared of her guitar as she can’t hide her true feelings while playing music, with the chorus changing slightly towards the end to reflect that she listened to her guitar by changing “if I play it” to “when I play it”.
Taken from People
But what these tracks do perfectly is call back to other songs. "So American," being the last song on the album, is a perfect parallel to "All American Bitch," the first song on the album. "All American Bitch" is a song about self empowerment and self love. Throughout a whole album of heartbreak and social trials, she ends the album with a song about finding the right person and being head over heels in love. Both songs use the image of being an American girl to tell her story. "Stranger" features direct callbacks to songs on SOUR, with the lines, “Oh, but I hope that you're happy, babe, you know I really do,” and, “And if I'm not enough for you, you're not enough for me,” being direct callbacks to "Happier" and "Enough for You" respectively. Even the new tracks call back to themselves to paint a better story, with "Scared of my Guitar" and "So American" both using the idea of not being able to sleep for opposite reasons. These callbacks are fun to hear and pick up on as a fan. It allows me to feel like each song builds off of each other and aren’t just stand-alone pop tunes. Rodrigo is a lyrical genius and the new tracks here are some of her best writing.
Spilling My Love for GUTS (Spilled)
GUTS is easily one of my favorite albums of all time. The range of different emotions this album is able to produce leads to me come back to it no matter the mood I’m in. It is one of the few pieces of media I consider to be nearly flawless. GUTS (Spilled) is a fantastic expansion of a fantastic album. Four of the five songs new here are personal favorites on the album. While "Girl I’ve Always Been" does hold the album back from being perfect, it is still the greatest album I’ve heard and one I recommend to anybody.
Sources: Spotify, Spotify, DiscoverMusic, StereoGum, RecordStoreDay, People, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Billboard, IMDb, Spotify, Spotify, TVGuide, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify
Photos: thePitch, GrammyAwards, Instagram, People
Contact Mason Mundy with comments at mason.mundy@bsu.edu
