The bittersweet glitter gel pen lyrics and the raw vocals of Gracie Abrams’s Music are eye-catching and memorable. Her music has always been dramatic, and her newest album: The Secret of Us is no exception! If you are reading this and don’t know who Gracie Abrams is, she is an American singer-songwriter who has been making music since she was young but only started releasing music in 2020. She has released two studio albums, and two ep: Good Riddance, The Secret of Us, Minor, and This is What it Feels Like. She has worked with many artists such as Noah Kahan, Benny Blanco, and Taylor Swift. Besides working with these artists, she also went on tour in 2022 with Olivia Rodrigo, and more recently opened for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. Gracie is known for her raw vocals and lyrics that explore many different themes.
‘The Secret of Us’, Gracie’s sophomore album, was made during breaks from The Eras Tour, and The Good Riddance Tour. Her last album reflects many different introspective themes, while her newest album reflects how relationships affect people. In the album single ‘Risk’, Gracie is pleading that she would ultimately do anything to be in a relationship with the unknown person. She is singing a cadence that reflects a person’s anxiety that comes with pursuing love. Reflecting this, the chorus of the song says, “Heard the risk is drowning, but I’m gonna take it”. Her songs also explore themes of hopeless love with lyrics like, “I burn for you, and you don’t even know my name” showing her love and passion for someone who might not even feel the same.
Other songs like ‘Tough Love’ and “Gave You I Gave You I” talk about moving on, and growing from the relationship. The song ‘Tough Love’ is an upbeat song with a theme of prioritizing herself, and moving on, saying “I’m not charmed so I’m Leaving”. The song ‘Gave You I Gave You I’ talks about the growth that comes from moving past a harmful relationship while being left feeling betrayed. Lyrics in the song state, “You were my worst time, you were the shoreline, you were the crash and now I break” showing the growth that comes with moving on from a relationship. The bridge of ‘Let it Happen’ says “I bet all my money that I will lose to you and hand you my life”. In another song ‘Free Now’ the song reflects a difficult breakup that she understands was not healthy. The song ends with a different tone with the last line of the song being “Never been less empty, all I feel is free now”.
There are still many other songs on the album that explore many different themes. Between Gracie’s raw vocals and deep meaningful lyrics, the album is one of my favorites. Listening to this album, it feels like you are reading Gracie’s diary filled with all of these stories of her past relationships and experiences. I would recommend this album to anyone and everyone, it explores such dramatic themes that everyone can relate to something.
