The daughter of prominent filmmaker and Stars Wars legend Jeffrey Jacob Abrams, singer and songwriter Gracie Abrams has displayed astounding music over and over. She has many singles, including “Mean It” and “Block me out,” two Extended Plays (EPs) titled “This Is What It Feels Like” and “minor” and she recently delivered something new and imaginative.
Fans were delighted when the indie pop artist announced her debut pop album titled Good Riddance. The complete record was released to music streaming services on February 24, 2023 and it has proved to be a distingished portrayal of heartbreak, loss and change.
The album was produced by Aaron Dessner, who has historically worked with other artists like pop singer Taylor Swift and rock band The National. It’s no surprise that Good Riddance turned out to be a work of art.
The anticipation of the album grew after Abrams released the first single, “Where do we go now?” on January 13. I was immediately impressed by the vulnerable lyricism and production of the song. For example, the ascending music in the beginning of the song creates a feeling of anxiety and urgency. This song also has extremely sad lyrics that I was impressed with like “cause now I’m half of myself here without you” and “if I could, I’d have changed every feelin, reservations were up to the ceilin’.”
Good Riddance includes a total of 12 tracks, proving Abrams despite her young age – and much like her father- is a master storyteller. It opens with “Best,” which slowly became one of my favorite songs, although I did not like it that much at first.
I really enjoyed how the album shows her unique narrative of heartbreak, and the different emotional aspects of it. Abrams shows the difficult process of moving on with lyrics like “I would bend back to you if you left the door open.” She also conveys the raw and fresh feeling that comes from grief which lyrics such as, “look, now I’m alone again / I’ve gotten used to sleeping here without you.”
Heartbreak is especially evident in songs like “I know it won’t work,” which is about wanting to rekindle an old relationship but knowing that the two of you are not meant to be, and “Amelie,” that focuses more on a deeply impactful friendship.
Pitchfork, a pop culture newspaper,supported my emotional connectivity and vulnerable feelings to Good Riddance.
“Her debut full-length Good Riddance dives deeper into personal accountability and sincere reflection on the fallout of complex relationships, revealing more of [Abrams] than ever before,” Pitchfork said.
The album cover for Good Riddance. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
I admire how she was able to include both emotional ballads like “Fault line” and “Right now” along with more upbeat and catchy tunes like “This is what the drugs are for” and “Difficult.”
A song that I fell in love with on the first listen was “I should hate you.” This song is about acknowledging the feeling of denial in a romantic relationship and putting the other person’s feelings first. I love how the song stands out on the album with the intimacy that Abrams was able to share.
Another song that I really liked was “Difficult.” I think it perfectly exudes how strong Abram’s vocals are and the illusions and expectations of love shown in the song are beautiful, diving into the deeper struggles of her life.
One of my favorite qualities about Good Riddance is the emotional buildup from the beat and lyrics. Abrams’ music creates an anxious and moving feeling for the listener. Good Riddance articulates this on a whole new level with even better soft and poetic songs, such as “Right now.”
“I feel an unbelievable amount of gratitude for the opportunity to have made this album,” Abrams said via Instagram. “Writing this record allowed me to grow up in ways I needed to. It forced me to reflect and be accountable. It allowed me to walk away from versions of myself that I no longer recognized.”
Overall, I really enjoyed Good Riddance and I think it’s definitely one of the best albums I have heard. Whether someone is a fan of Abrams or not, I would recommend giving the album a listen because Good Riddance is by far her best work.
