Gracie Abrams Takes Her Sad-Girl Pop to the Next Level on 'The Secret of Us'

The musician's second album refines some of the overused phrases and teenage comparisons from her first album released in 2023.

In the past four years, Gracie Abrams has become highly popular on playlists for those looking for emotional songs. Her EP This Is What It Feels Like and her first album Good Riddance helped her gain recognition and set the stage for a successful collaboration with Aaron Dessner. After touring with Taylor Swift and receiving a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, Abrams' songwriting has matured and become even more evocative, as can be heard on her second album The Secret of Us.

The new folk-pop album really highlights Abrams' talent for writing songs, improving upon some overused phrases and teenage comparisons from her first album. The songs paint a detailed picture of a failed relationship, with heartbreaking lyrics that perfectly capture the challenges of dating in your early twenties. Abrams collaborated with her best friend Audrey Hobert to co-write several tracks on the album. The lyrics read like a heartfelt letter to an ex, sharing intimate secrets with a close friend during moments of insomnia.

The blog post starts with the upbeat song "Felt Good About You," which sets the tone for the entire album. The lyrics capture the essence of the album, with lines like "Felt good about you till I didn't/Fell hard then I lost your interest" really hitting home. In addition to the hit single "Risk," the start of the album showcases Abrams' ability to create catchy, melodic, and cheerful pop music, transforming her typically intimate and mellow sound into something more infectious and lively.

However, Abrams truly excels in her music when she explores more intense and contemplative themes. In her song "Blowing Smoke," she grapples with the haunting image of her ex with a new partner, feeling overwhelmed by thoughts of how attractive and impressive the new girlfriend may be. Her collaboration with Taylor Swift in a duet is particularly impactful, especially considering it is placed as Track Five on the album. (Fans of Swift know that Track Five on her albums is typically the most emotionally charged). In "Us.," Abrams echoes Swift's emotional depth by singing about tumultuous relationships and questioning the decisions made in love. Swift acts as a mentor through heartbreak, offering wisdom as Abrams navigates the aftermath of a past romance.

As we listen to the album, it becomes apparent that Abrams's music has a more cheerful yet melancholic side that is worth exploring further. Tracks like "Tough Love," which has a similar vibe to Noah Kahan's music, show that Abrams has a dynamic energy in her sound that she could delve into more deeply. It's no surprise that fans have been eager for her to release "Close to You" for years, as it is the final track on the album and was previewed on Instagram back in 2017. Despite initially stating that the song didn't fit her current sound, the addition of synth-pop elements proves that Abrams has the potential to create a hit summer song while blending the best of both musical worlds, much like her famous mentor. Overall, "The Secret of Us" demonstrates that Abrams is paving the way for a successful career and will continue to hold a prominent place on any playlist for a long time to come.

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