Album Review: Gracie Abrams - 'Good Riddance'
Gracie Abrams navigates her past and unveils her new self in her devastatingly beautiful debut album ‘Good Riddance’.
Gracie Abrams is one of the most phenomenal artists of her generation. An American singer-songwriter whose work has been praised by the likes of Vogue UK and NME, describing her work as “painfully honest tales of heartbreak draped in delicate melodies”. Kickstarting her career with her debut track ‘Mean It’, released back in 2019, it has since accumulated over 27 million streams on Spotify alone. Since then, Gracie has released two EPs ‘minor’ and ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ and performed a sold-out North American tour. There is a strong likability with Abrams, with her intimate lyrics and DIY production, she is the best friend with whom you can confide anything to. Gracie’s compelling lyricism and extraordinary storytelling create an irresistible aura you want to be swallowed in, in her long-awaited debut album ‘Good Riddance’.
The album begins with the emotional and beautifully tragic ‘Best’. Powerful longing piano accompanies Abrams’s self-realisation that she is the cause of the damage of a past relationship. Staccato acoustic guitar reaches out in desperation as she repeats “I never was the best to you”. An echoing washed-out electric guitar then introduces ‘I know it won’t work’. With drums replicating a skipping heartbeat, Abrams wishes to return to a past love but fears she isn’t good enough. My favourite line of the album comes from here, “What if I’m not worth the time and breath I know you’re saving”. Bringing the intensity down is the folk jam ‘Full machine’, which will have you twirling around a campfire with your friends, hoping that the night would never end.
Next is ‘Where do we go now’, the first single released from ‘Good Riddance’. Confusion and loss of direction best describe Abrams in this ballad. As she reflects on her relationship full of “harmless” white lies and alarming red flags, she wonders whether a fresh start would work for them or if the damage has left a cut too deep to be fully healed. Acoustic guitar leads us through the painful track ‘I should hate you’. Even though the relationship was tragic, leaving Abrams with knives in her back, she can’t help but want to run back into her ex-lover’s arms. Dreamy synth and layered vocals highlight Abrams’s delicate voice in ‘Will you cry’ as she finds herself in a one-sided relationship and begins to wonder if they would even notice if she left.
We back a step back here from the heavy instrumental production, as Abrams relives a short interaction with ‘Amelie’. Breathtakingly honest and beautiful, the dreamy acoustic track follows Abrams struggling as she tries to find evidence that Amelie is real, perhaps the only thing she had as a constant in her life. Abrams continues with her struggles in the upbeat daze pop track 'Difficult'. Afraid of change, Abrams’s spiral begins as she begs to be invisible, so she doesn’t have to deal with her mistakes.
‘This is what the drugs are for’ is the most surprising song from the album, with indie folk guitar accompanying the fragile Abrams’s as she searches for the best way to self-medicate as everything around her falls apart. With a jolly façade, the lyrics show the truth as Abrams’s sings ‘What am I supposed to do when you used to be my lifeline’.
‘Fault line’ strips down to the basics with its dainty acoustic guitar and a soft ambient synth whispering through the cracks, as she sorrowfully sings “You’re the drug I take when I want to forget how I’m feeling”. After so much heartbreak and devastation, Abrams’s finally finds her happy ending in the twinkling and heart-warming track ‘The blue'. Proving that sometimes if we stop searching for what we desire, it comes when we least expect it but when we need it most. After working through her issues, the album closes with the delicate piano ballad 'Right Now', following Abrams's stream of consciousness as she begins to feel more alive than ever.
'Good Riddance' is Abrams's way of healing from self-sabotage, past relationships, and turbulent events. From her second EP, 'This Is What It Feels Like, you can hear growth throughout the production down to the extraordinary storytelling. It’s fragile yet it carries so much power. Listen to 'Good Riddance' if you find yourself needing to be comforted, inspired or in a need of a good cry.
Words by Amy Mealing
