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Label: Interscope Records
Released: 21st June 2024
Gracie Abrams has always dealt in intimacies, from the very beginning of her career. Confessional lyrics and earnest deliveries are cornerstones of her sound, but on her second album, ‘The Secret Of Us’, she leans into that more than ever and finds a joyous new lease of life in doing so.
She’s never shied away from detailing her thoughts, but ‘The Secret Of Us’ unfolds like a conversation with a close friend – from giggling, giddy excitement over a crush on ‘Risk’ to the kind of bitter, eye-rolling revelations about an ex that you would only share in true confidence on ‘Blowing Smoke’. Her debut, ‘Good Riddance’, felt like it existed in an isolated, dark space. This feels brighter and more confident: her voice is often stronger and more vibrant, and there’s an exhilarating anticipation weaved throughout.
Gracie has often been a deft hand at winding her songs tighter and tighter, sonically spiralling as the song continues until the anxiety is palpable. Now, she offers catharsis instead – the rousing builds of ‘Us’ and ‘Let It Happen’ celebrate unleashing your emotions in their fullest, most colourful form.
‘Tough Love’ encompasses a key point of the album in its immortalisation of her female friendships and how they pull you through. In further embracing her more upbeat pop sensibilities, Gracie creates a soundtrack for the girls gathering together to draft a nonchalant text, for spontaneous nights of dancing and laughing until you cry, for the kaleidoscopic feelings weathered in both her own early twenties and her listeners’, too. This is a new level of closeness, and in sharing that, Gracie both finds and offers a release.
Of course, there are still moments where the revelry is paused momentarily, and vulnerability reigns supreme – Gracie’s songwriting cuts like a knife, as ever. ‘I Knew It, I Know You’ gently delivers some gut-wrenching lines, whilst ‘Gave You I Gave You I’ sees her split right open as she details her attempt to overcome a particular heartache. The moments of quiet introspection are necessary amidst the joy, though and ultimately reflective of the album’s narrative.
‘The Secret Of Us’ shows a refreshingly new side to Gracie Abrams. She is at her strongest when she doesn’t hold back – the tracks that revel in dark pop synth and larger-than-life soundscapes see her at her best and colour the album with a stunning new warmth. ‘Close To You’ is sparkling finale to a formidable second album, perfectly capturing the familiar, gleeful delight that is wound tightly into ‘The Secret Of Us’.
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