Taylor Swift gets back into the spotlight with “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore,” an expanded edition that adds four new songs to her 2025 album. (28)

Released Sept. 25, the deluxe edition includes “Patient Zero,” “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon” to the previously released tracklist. The four songs reunite Swift with longtime collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, who worked with her on the original album. 

The new tracks continue the album’s focus on Swift’s relationship, fame and personal experiences while introducing some different emotional tones. “Patient Zero” takes a more reflective approach, while “Pink Clouding” explores regret. “Cleveland!” takes a lighter approach and “Babylon” closes the encore with a more nostalgic vibe. 

“Patient Zero” stands out for its catchy chorus and melancholic melody. The Guardian identified the song as the strongest of the four additions, noting its emotional quality and connection to the sound of Swift’s previous work. 

“Pink Clouding” also adds emotional depth to the expanded edition. The song centers on an apology and regret, while using a pop sound that gives the track a lighter feel despite the subject matter. The Guardian gave the song its flowers for feeling more emotionally convincing and mature than some of the tracks on the original album. 

The other two additions feel less cohesive. “Cleveland!” takes an upbeat approach to Swift’s relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce and addresses criticism surrounding her. Its focus on outside opinions can make the song feel repetitive. The Guardian criticized the track for returning to themes that Swift has explored throughout her Showgirl Era. 

“Babylon” takes a darker and more complex approach, focusing on regret and a family that is fractured. While the track adds an emotional layer to the collection, The Guardian found its narrative overly complicated. On the other hand, Billboard praised the track and rated it number one of the four new tracks released. 

The four songs also do not completely form a unified extension of the original album. The Guardian argued that the additions could feel disconnected from “The Life of a Showgirl,” with each track sounding as if it could belong to a different album. Still, the expanded edition gives listeners four additional perspectives on the themes Swift explored throughout the original album.

Billboard’s ranking of the new tracks places “Babylon” first, followed by “Pink Clouding,” “Patient Zero” and at the bottom “Cleveland!” This differs from The Guardian’s assessments, which places “Patient Zero” as the standout among the four additions. 

“The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore” does not completely transform the original album, but it gives Swift another chance to explore its themes. The strongest additions, “Patient Zero” and “Pink Clouding” provide moments of reflection that balance the more playful material. 

For fans of “The Life of a Showgirl,” the four new tracks offer another act before the curtain closes.