Album Review: Gracie Abrams, The Secret of Us

It’s safe to say that Gracie Abrams has been a pillar within the “sad-girl indie" craze since her 2019 debut 'Mean It', spewing break-up anthems, self-lacerating ballads, and melancholic belters like water from a faucet, but after spending a summer performing alongside her childhood hero, it seems that Abrams’ “sad-girl” outlook has become a bit cheerier.

While she still wears her heart on plainly her sleeve, the California songwriter’s latest album, The Secret of Us, greets listeners with a hint of whimsy and glint of mirth despite traversing the ever-present themes of love, loss, guilt and insecurity. Led by last month's bubbly yet incisive single ‘Risk’, the record sees Abrams sink into a comfortable new middle-ground where car-radio pop meets sad-core indie, no doubt inspired by her idol-turned-bestie Taylor Swift.

Whether attributed to the residual praise from her debut album Good Riddance or the sweeping exposure from her time spent as an opener on Swift’s Eras Tour, Abrams’ star has certainly risen in the past year. Having graduated from her former pigeonhole of “nepo-baby” - a label bestowed upon her as the daughter of film director J.J. Abrams - Abrams expresses a newfound confidence in The Secret Of Us, shedding her whispered alto for a few, itch-scratching moments of freedom as she belts out stadium-filling choruses and heart-thumping verses.

Produced by the National founder Aaron Dessner and co-written by Abrams’ childhood friend Audrey Hobert, the album consists of 13 tracks, each one hitting the nail on the head with pin-point accuracy. The double-sided record features album highlights ‘Blowing Smoke’ and ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’ before barreling into the pop-centric verbiage of ‘Tough Love’, ‘Free Now’ and ‘Close To You’, a track teased on social media back in 2017 that has only now reached listeners in full.

The cherry on top comes as a duet with Miss Swift herself. Having forged a bond strong enough to withstand near kitchen-engulfing fire - which took place after a night of writing and drinking at Swift’s Tribeca estate - the pair were able to craft ‘Us’, the aptly named crown jewel among Abrams’ treasure trove of hits.

The Secret of Us is out now.