The Secret of Us
Gracie Abrams may be fresh off her teenage years, but she’s old enough to know risk and reward belong together. Since she began releasing music in 2019, the singer-songwriter has homed in on emotional leaps of faith, her tremulous vocals expertly evoking the tear-splattered diary scribbles a great young love inspires. On her stripped-down new record *The Secret of Us*, Abrams takes stock of every crush and contradiction that led her to this chapter, reflecting the glow of formative past romances through soft prisms of pop, folk, and indie rock. Anyone who missed her coveted stint as an opener on the Eras Tour will welcome Taylor Swift’s feature on “us.,” a soaring centerpiece addressed to an older partner Abrams can’t be sure ever took her seriously. She isn’t afraid to face the anxiety around her own legitimacy, or face it alone—Swift is the only feature across these 13 tracks. But between the cathartic power chords of “Tough Love,” the twinkling balladry of “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” and the delicate simplicity of “Free Now,” the real secret to Abrams’ success shines through in her craftsmanship: She’s as serious as it gets.
On new album ‘The Secret of Us’, Gracie Abrams aims for pop catharsis and hints at dancefloor euphoria – read the NME review
When Gracie Abrams was around three to five years old, playing on her father’s electronic drum pad, she couldn’t have dreamed that about 20 years later,
‘The Secret of Us’ offers intimate glimpses into Abrams’s interior world, but musically it lacks dimension.
The strong hooks on 'The Secret of Us' provide the missing third dimension to Gracie Abrams' songs and create a winning formula that could sustain more albums.
The Secret Of Us by Gracie Abrams album review by Sam Franzini for Northern Transmissions. The artist's new LP is out today via Interscope
Linda Thompson creates an album by proxy; Gracie Abrams proves why she’s adored by Taylor Swift; Lola Young is Britain’s gobby rising star
The American songwriter delivers music that connects, with help from Aaron Dessner