With her recent support slot on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour and a sold-out US tour starting in September, Gracie Abrams’ success is growing by the day. Her new album The Secret of Us is no exception to this. With the influence of collaborator Aaron Dessner, who also co-produced Abrams’ 2023 album Good Riddance, the album features folky instrumentals combined with Abrams’ signature vulnerable, relatable lyricism. This track by track review explores the language, themes and imagery which make this album so addictive.
‘Felt Good About You’
In the opening track, Gracie continues from the closing track of Good Riddance ‘The Blue’ which discusses an unexpected new love interest. In ‘Felt Good About You’, Gracie presents a love which began hopeful but ended disappointingly. The track’s honesty and vulnerability, with lines like “Got me where you want me, in your palm it's almost funny”, sets the tone for a heartbreakingly raw album.
‘Risk’
The upbeat first single ‘Risk’ which was released May 1, perfectly describes the risks that come with falling for someone who may not feel the same.
“I’m not proud/ Guess I’m just scared of you shootin’ it down”
‘Blowing Smoke’
Another favourite of mine, ‘Blowing Smoke’ narrates Gracie’s challenge of continuing to move on whilst being faced with feelings of jealousy over her ex’s new relationship. The song begins with a reflective tone as Gracie describes how she “let it go for my peace of mind”. This is very quickly overridden as she begins to torture herself with the image of her ex and his new girl. This is then followed by insecure presumptions - “Tell me is she prettier than she was on the internet?”- combined with the guilty delusion that her ex is still thinking about her- “And I bet you think about me now / When you should be sleeping”.
If you’re haunted by your ex’s new girlfriend’s Instagram, this is the song for you.
‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’
The fourth track continues from Gracie’s 2020 song ‘I miss you, I’m sorry’, which showed her confessing she still missed her ex. In ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’ Gracie pays homage to her own habit of running away from problems - “I like to slam doors closed”.
This song features my favourite bridge of the album which accepts, despite their flaws, she still loves him. There’s something so brutally vulnerable about the shift from apologetically missing someone to admitting you can’t stop loving them which makes this the best song on the album.
“You were the best, but you were the worst/ As sick as it sounds, I loved you first”
‘Us. (Ft. Taylor Swift)’
An obvious stand out, ‘Us’ reflects on the question many of us have been tormented by - do you miss us? Following what seems to be a persistent theme in the album, the song portrays a relationship which started positively but eventually broke down: “And what seemed like fate becomes ‘What the hell was I doin‘?’”.
Of course, we cannot discuss a Taylor Swift collaboration without discussing the bridge, and ‘Us’ is no exception. The bridge reflects on the lies and cliches of love, “False prophets and profits/ They make in the margins of poetry sonnets”, and the confusion caused by losing such a relationship. How can something which felt so extraordinary end? The way Gracie is able to show that the relationship was not always perfect –“The best kind, well, sometimes” – but also the rarity of such a love makes this song stand out.
‘Let It Happen’
Much like ‘Risk’, ‘Let It Happen’ perfectly encapsulates the chaos of realising you like someone and the lack of control that comes along with it.
“If you’re ready, all I mean is we could go”
‘Tough Love’
Sometimes all you need is to dance with your friends instead of dwelling on a mediocre man and that’s exactly the message this seventh track delivers. Love and loss are unavoidable parts of life and that’s okay! So here’s your sign to put the energy you would have given to a man to your friends (because, news flash, they probably deserve it more!).
“No chance I waste my twenties on random men/ Not one of them is cooler than all my friends”
‘I Knew It, I Know You’
Whilst ‘Tough Love’ focuses on prioritising yourself over a relationship, ‘I Knew It, I Know You’ reflects on the effect that has on the person left behind. The song begins with accepting ending the relationship was the right thing to do, even if it hurt the other person - “And all I did was right by me, I heard that almost killed you”.
For me, this is one of the saddest songs on the album as Gracie explores feelings of guilt and remorse. She acknowledges the pain of prioritising another person over herself for too long:
“All I ever did was consider you/ Until all I could do was consider me”.
‘Gave You I Gave You I’
The ninth track ‘Gave You I Gave You I’ presents the pain of a relationship where, no matter how much effort was made, this was never reciprocated. The song addresses the difficulty of moving on from a relationship when you still love the person – “I’ve been feeling sick but I should help myself, not call you”. Gracie’s repetition of the phrase “Gave You I” emphasises the sacrifices made for someone who would not do the same.
The feelings of inadequacy and confusion make this one of the most heartbreaking songs on the album.
“Was I just a placeholder to fill the hole inside you?”
‘Normal Thing’
‘Normal Thing’ describes the experience of falling in love with a movie star but yearning for something less scripted. The repetition of “I guess I’ll see ya” to bring the song to an end, reflects the pain of becoming insignificant to someone who was once the most important person in your life: “And you changed my life, but I guess I’ll see ya”. ‘Normal Thing’ is a yearning for something genuine, a love which has a mind of its own and not a script to follow.
‘Good Luck Charlie’
‘Good Luck Charlie’ follows the aftermath of two friends breaking up and the quiet best wishes for them both. The song takes a very personal tone and focuses on Gracie’s best friend Audrey, with whom she has collaborated with several times. The line “Now when you fly over Michigan I’ll bet you see her”, highlights Charlie’s struggle to move on without Audrey.
“Good luck, Charlie/ I hope you’re happy”
‘Free Now’
Another favourite of mine, in ‘Free Now’ Gracie reflects on the ending of a difficult relationship whilst accepting that the blame cannot be placed entirely on either one of them - “And I hope you know that I don’t think/ You’re a bad guy, that you’re damaged”. This song appears to have been written further along the moving on process, as Gracie expresses gratitude for the person and the lessons the relationship taught her in the line “And I showed no restraint, it was something/ I was scared of ‘til you made me love it”.
The song takes a surprising turn to hope as Gracie accepts the time has never been right for the two yet, but that does not mean it never will be.
‘Close To You’
Gracie closes The Secret of Us with the catchy, upbeat final track ‘Close To You’, which, much like the album’s other single ‘Risk’, encapsulates the excitement and anticipation of liking someone.
“I burn for you/ And you don’t even know my name”
The Secret of Us is an album which embraces the complexities of love and relationships in your twenties, never shying from harsh truths. After scoring her first number one on the Billboard Top Album Sales Chart and a rumoured UK tour coming up, keep your eyes peeled for tickets.
