A warm welcome to Gracie Abrams' 'Good Riddance'
Harboring a substantial discography of fan-favorite singles and EPs since her musical emergence in 2019, singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams announced her long-awaited debut album, Good Riddance, in early January this year.
While announcing her tracklist amongst a scattered slew of easter eggs throughout her social media, Abrams released two singles alongside the previously released “Difficult” in preparation for the album’s debut: “Where do we go now?” and “Amelie.” All three tracks were welcome additions to her discography, brandishing some of the most impressive production, vocal performance, and penmanship throughout her entire musical assemblage. Gaining attention from both her singles and the announcement of her opening for Taylor Swift during The Eras Tour later this year, the expectations for Good Riddance were high from both fans and newcomers alike.
Overall, Gracie Abrams has created a wonderful listening experience with Good Riddance. The album delivers Abrams’ typical lush and gentle sound, adding an array of unique and striking tracks to her already impressive discography. The album meshes together the sounds of melancholic indie folk and ecstatic electric-bedroom pop with the help of producer Aaron Dessner, whose signature style greatly complements Abrams’ artistic vision and the overall sonic composition of the album. Subtle hints of electronic synths, guitar, piano, and strings slowly building throughout the majority of the tracks improve them significantly and further pull the listener into the mellifluous world that Good Riddance creates.
The production is undoubtedly the strongest and most consistent aspect of Abrams’ debut album. The backing tracks create a world that is incredibly easy for listeners to completely immerse themselves in. The song “Will you cry?” highlights the production on the album, fostering the guitar strumming pattern that feels like the cursive signature of Aaron Dessner at the bottom of the track. “Will you cry?” sounds reminiscent of Dessner’s work on Taylor Swift’s folklore with a more upbeat rhythm and hints of energetic electronic outbursts. It makes the listener feel as if they are lost in some sort of wayward world as Abrams beckons: “Will you cry if I let go?”
While some songs lean more towards traditional singer-songwriter sounds, many are more sonically akin to bedroom indie pop. The production of the single Difficult feels very fun and energetic. Difficult sounds like it comes straight out of a high-school sleepover dance party scene out of a teenage drama movie; the kind that makes you want to get up and dance, too, or at the very least tap your foot or nod your head to the beat. It’s a welcome breath of fresh air on the album. Ironically, this song has some of the most introspective and depressive lyricism out of the whole album. Despite the stark contrast between the overall sound and the poetic content of the song, the acceptance that life at its core is “difficult” and not something to be ashamed of is perhaps the message Abrams wanted to portray here, and it works successfully.
Good Riddance explores a diverse variety of thematic ideas similar to those of a coming-of-age novel in its lyrical composition, including growing up, isolation, self-love, separation, closure, and acceptance, and Abrams proves that she is no stranger to writing beautifully meaningful lyrics. Gracie Abrams adds on from her writing on her last EP, This is What It Feels Like. Abrams’ poetic development since her last release is shown most strongly in the album’s compelling bridges, as showcased on the single, Where do we go now?.
On a track with siren-like vocals and track, Abrams goes on to sing, “you’re the best in my life, and I lost you / And we had no control when it fell through.” Even though Abrams knows the situation is hopeless and out of her power, she still cannot help but implore the question, “Where do we go now?” While Abrams seems dazed and lost with no direction, her vocal performance, the desperate lyricism, and the magical production in this track beckon listeners to follow her wherever she ends up next.
The bridge in Best is some of the strongest writing in the whole album; Abrams’ lines reveal a self-aware introspection of her role in a heartbreak: “And I destroyed every silver linin' you had in your head / All of your feelings, I played with them / Go ahead, we can just call it conditionin' / We were too different, you were so sensitive.”
The closing track, Right now, is the pinnacle of Abrams’ writing throughout Good Riddance. Right now takes a deep dive into introspection and desolation in order to encapsulate all of the themes explored throughout the rest of the album. The simple piano accompaniment feels fitting and paints a picture of one looking out a window as they are slowly driven away from everything they have ever known. Abrams delivers short lines that shoot arrows straight through the heart: “Am I losin’ my family / Every minute I’m gone? / What if my little brother / Thinks my leavin’ was wrong?”
The vocal performance on Good Riddance is just as emotional as its lyrical content. The moments when she explores her upper register, as well as the deepest parts of her lower register, are so unique to this track. The chorus of I should hate you is complimented incredibly well by the stagnant vocal lines of the verses. Her breathy and soft tone combines with hints of rasp, making this track particularly entrancing.
There are two particular songs that stand out on the album. “Full machine” and “Amelie” both manifest lyrical, sonic, and vocal perfection from Abrams. The production on “Full machine” creates an unique and almost indescribable feeling. While sonically, it sounds electric and industrial, the world it seems to create feels light and woodsy. Her airy tone is complemented immensely by the production, which truly makes Full machine feel like a hypnotizing experience.
The post-chorus is also phenomenal; Abrams’ upper register makes listeners feel as if they are levitating. Lyrically, this track keeps its message concise, with short but meaningful lines. Abrams has little to plead or beg, as she reveals in the conclusion of the post-chorus: “But I should probably stop / Instead of forcin’ a breakthrough / It’s just that I’ll always choose you.” Full machine is mystical, refreshing, and everything else one might look for in an indie-pop power ballad.
Amelie is a breathtaking work of art. The song is simple and raw. The guitar serves as the basis of production for the song, and spurts of piano haunt evocatively in the background with little to no electronic elements. The acoustic ambiance creates a particularly striking aura that none of the other songs on the album convey. Abrams’ light and breathy tone showcases once more the hints of subtle rasp throughout this track. While typically, her higher notes have been the highlights of her vocals in previous songs, this song does quite the contrary. The lower tones she whispers throughout the bridge are gut-wrenchingly gorgeous. Throughout the entire song, her performance sounds as if she is holding back tears during her lament.
Listening to this song feels as if Abrams is looking the listener dead in the eyes and telling them her recollections of Amelie. Her story-telling shows levels of pain and love making this track have a stronger natural connection between Abrams and listeners than any other song on the album. Abrams' evergreen nostalgia and reminiscent melancholy transmit flawlessly. Abrams opens the song with “I met a girl once / She sorta ripped me open,” and with this track, Abrams manages to rip open and connect directly to the hearts of the listeners just as was done to her.
Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams is a magnificent listening venture from start to finish. Abrams’ work sees a significant improvement from her past projects. Some of the vocal and lyrical choices seem a little bit on the safer side, which causes some tracks on the album to seem a little bit one-note or unimpressive. However, the risks that Abrams does take pay off immensely and solidify a handful of tracks as singer-songwriter masterpieces.
In the last track of the album, Right now, Abrams concludes both the song and the album with the statement, “I feel like myself right now;” Good Riddance refers not to the dissipation of any of Abrams’ relationships or experiences discussed throughout the album’s narrative but to the dissipation of the version of herself that let those relationships and experiences define who she is. Abrams is able to shed her skin and look at her life from a new perspective despite all of the trials and tribulations she has been through.
Abrams becomes a new self both symbolically and artistically in the album Good Riddance. Gracie Abrams’ debut album successfully leaves an impactful impression, making it evident that her future in the music industry is both promising and bright.
Logan Goettemoeller