Gracie Abrams’ Long-Awaited Debut
Rating: 8/10
Favorite song: Difficult
On February 24th, 2023, Gracie Abrams released her highly anticipated debut album Good Riddance. Abrams has been releasing singles and EPs since 2019, with each release garnering more and more attention. The 2021 EP titled This Is What It Feels Like was considered her best work until her recent release, with hit songs like “Feels Like” and “Rockland.” Her music has received incredible success, landing under the “singer-songwriter” genre, with pop and folk influences.
Good Riddance is her first full-length album release, although the runtime of her previous EP was long enough to be considered an album. Considering this, her debut album is her best work so far. She partnered with renowned producer and songwriter from the band The National, Aaron Dessner for the album, the two of them working on the entire album together with very few other collaborators.
The album’s themes delve quite a bit into emotions of sadness, longing, and mostly heartbreak. While the production in each song is quite strong, her lyrical abilities are outmatched, with most songs having a clear storyline that she walks the listener through step by step. Starting the album with the song “Best,” Abrams immediately displays her songwriting skills in this song. The song's best part is the bridge, something prevalent in this album. She eloquently reminisces on how she was not good to her partner, the line “I never was the best to you” is the main focus of the song. It is a very strong opening, setting the stage for the album.
The next two songs, “I know it won’t work” and “Full machine,” continue the themes of longing, heartbreak, and struggling to move on, but also delve into discovering herself and her identity as she approaches her mid-20s. Her songwriting skills on these tracks are masterful, with lines such as “I’m a shameless caller, you’re a full machine.” While “I know it won’t work” has a catchier beat, “Full machine” has a beautiful melody throughout the chorus, making it my favorite of the two.
Before the album was released, Abrams released three singles while the fans anticipated the full-length project, two of those being “Where do we go now?” and “Amelie.” At first, “Where do we go now?” seems a little slow and repetitive, but the bridge compensates for all its initial hesitation, marking it as one of the best-written songs on the album. The production for the song matches most of the other songs on the album, but “Amelie” breaks the mold. It is a slower, acoustic song, heavily emphasizing her story-telling and songwriting abilities. She describes her experience with a girl she met once, a concept that could be considered a metaphor but also taken literally. “Amelie” could be a previous version of her, but it could also be a real person. It is up to the listener to decide, as “Amelie” is an open-ending love letter to someone who impacted her life greatly, leading with “Where did you go, Amelie? Were you all in a dream, Amelie?” The song is beautiful, reminding me of the slow yet romantic atmosphere of Taylor Swift’s Folklore.
The first single was also the breakout of the album, “Difficult”, and it happens to be my personal favorite. It has a more upbeat and pop sound, while still sticking to the slower beats she has been using throughout the album. The faster and “happier” sound is a facade due to the lyrics encompassing some very relatable and terrifying feelings, the fear of being a difficult person met with difficult decisions, and the desire to be invisible. The song quickly resonated with most fans upon release, quickly becoming one of the biggest hits of the album. “Difficult” is easily the most painfully understandable song as if she put into words what most people her age have been feeling. It is remarkable.
While there are still a few songs remaining after “Difficult,” the song leaves such an incredible mark that unfortunately almost drowns out the rest. She ends the album with “Right now,” a nostalgic song about feeling homesick while simultaneously being the most like herself she has ever felt. Throughout the whole album, Gracie Abrams displays her talent for narrating these wildly relatable experiences, in unique and beautiful ways that pertain to her experiences. The song slowly builds up only to slowly ease the listener down into this lovely piano lullaby, thus ending the album.
For a debut album, Abrams makes a clear mark on her discography with a landmark album, opening strongly and stabilizing her sound. She can only go up from here, making us all excited for her future endeavors with great anticipation. Abrams is currently touring the album, across the states, with each night being completely sold out! The album is a great success, with fans displaying their love for the tracks throughout all social media. Good Riddance is a wonderful debut, targeting her audience masterfully, which makes us now wonder, “where do we go now?”
Listen to Gracie Abrams’ debut album here!