The secret is out: Gracie Abrams’ sophomore album is a force to be reckoned with
By: Madison North
Gracie Abrams sophomore album The Secret of Us breathes new life into an already stellar summer of music so far this year. Last year, the 24-year-old released her debut album Good Riddance, along with opening for Taylor Swift’s sold out Era’s Tour—you know, typical 24-year-old things. Since the release of her EP Minor in 2020, Abrams has been making both a name and voice for herself in the music industry, with songs like “i miss you, i’m sorry” and “Friend,” there is no denying her heart wrenching lyricism. However, The Secret of Us shows a maturity and longing to Abrams’ music that we haven’t seen before.
The album opens with “Felt Good About You,” a spunky song that sets the tone for the record. Abrams sings about how quickly you can go from thinking so highly of someone and your relationship to them, until essentially you don’t and being ok with living with it not working out. The next track, “Risk,” the first single off the album, is truly one for all of the delusional girlies out there (myself included). We see a more vulnerable side on this song, but in a more panicky way. It shows the fear of realizing you have feelings for someone and starting to overthink your relationship to them, constantly thinking about them and what you two could be.
Next, “Blowing Smoke” opens with one of my favorite lyrics from the album: “I cut the rope and you fell from the tower”. It talks about the struggles of trying to move on from a past relationship and get over this person while still struggling to accept them being with someone else. From there we float into “I Love You, I’m Sorry” is a song where Abrams comes to peace with the ending of a relationship and accepts the fact that both you and this other person were not the greatest for each other, serving as a follow up from her hit song “i miss you, i’m sorry”.
“us (feat. Taylor Swift)” was highly anticipated among fans and is the only collaboration track on the album. The song emotes a very folklore and evermore feel to it, showcasing both singers’ stellar songwriting abilities. In the sixth song “Let It Happen,” Abrams lets her walls down but in a different way than she does on “Risk”. Instead, “Let It Happen” shows the fear of realizing that this person you care for could break your heart but that is ok because of how important they are to you.
“Tough Love,” while still a song about heartbreak, we see Abrams dive into the theme of the power of friendship. It’s an upbeat song that makes you wanna dance around with your best friends, specifically to the lyrics: “No chance I waste my twenties on random men, not one of them is cooler than all my friends”. Then, returning to her melancholic sound, “I Knew It, I Know You”, showcases the struggle of feeling like you should apologize to a person from your past but knowing that that wouldn’t change them or the situation, that putting their feelings above yours isn’t worth it in the end.
“Gave You I Gave You I” speaks on the feeling of being worn down and used by a past relationship, the feeling of having given everything you could to this other person while not getting the same care and support in return. “Normal Thing” speaks to the power of romanticizing a person and building them up in your head. Abrams portrays this through how we often put movie stars on pedestals, thinking so highly of them and the aura surrounding them.
“Good Luck Charlie,” Abrams puts her best friend Audrey at the center of the narrative. Throughout her career, Abrams has been no stranger to singing about her friendship, or having her as a collaborator on her projects, including this album where she is credited as a co-writer on several songs. As we near the end, “Free Now” is exactly how it sounds, freeing. The song is a breath of fresh air with the build up to a powerful bridge and outro, and conveys how you can feel pain after a relationship is over but knowing that it’s best for both of you and that weight off your shoulders once it is over.
The album rounds off with the second single “Close To You,” a formerly hidden gem song that fans have been begging for Abrams to release for years. “Close To You” ends the album on a poppy beat, closing out the journey in a lighter note, showing listeners that the ending to the start of a situation, “Felt Good About You” can turn into something optimistic.
Overall, The Secret of Us is one of the best albums of 2024 and solidifies Gracie Abrams' already shining star power, soon enough to making her one of the biggest names in music. Everything about her sophomore album is more confident; from the production, to the lyrics, to the album cover itself. Standouts to me on this album are “Blowing Smoke,” “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” “Let it Happen,” and “Free Now”. With every song, you feel a wave of authentic emotion and storytelling. The secret truly is out, Gracie Abrams is a force to be reckoned with.