THE RAW REVIEWS: Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams
A deep dive into Gracie Abrams' debut album, a wonderful blend of rustic singer-songwriter tunes and lush bedroom pop
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 creates a wonderful listening experience with Good Riddance. The album delivers Abrams’ typical lush and gentle sound, adding an array of unique standout tracks to an 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.
The production is undoubtedly the strongest and most consistent aspect throughout Abrams’ debut album. Subtle hints of electronic synths, guitar, piano, and strings slowly building throughout the majority of the tracks pull the listener into the mellifluous world that Good Riddance creates, marking a significant jump in quality from some of Abrams’ previous releases. The production makes it incredibly easy as a listener to completely immerse yourself and get lost in the music. The song “Will you cry?” is one of the most well-produced on the album, fostering an incredibly gorgeous guitar strumming pattern synonymous to a beautiful 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 more of an 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?”
“This is what the drugs are for'' exhibits an even more strongly folk-based production than “Will you cry?”. On its own, “This is what the drugs are for” is wonderful. Abrams’ breathy tone seems a little out of place with the rest of the sonic ambience at certain points, but the chorus and instrumentals themselves are quite pleasant to listen to. Unfortunately, “This is what the drugs are for” feels a little bit out of place in the context of the album. Instead of feeling like a welcome change of pace that enhances the cohesion and diversity of the album, it ultimately sticks out like a sore thumb against the production in the rest of the tracklist. For lack of a better way to express it, the track just feels “too folky” compared to the rest of Good Riddance. Despite its flaws, “This is what the drugs are for” still manages to be one of the most well-constructed and powerful songs lyrically, with hard-hitting lines such as "You painted my life indigo, oh / A kind of blue I hate to know / Where everything turns kinda cold.” Overall, the track is enjoyable, but its inclusion in the album is mildly baffling.
While some songs on Good Riddance lean more towards the traditional singer-songwriter sound replicated in the two aforementioned tracks, many of them are more sonically akin to something in the bedroom or indie pop genre. The best example of this is the production on the track “Difficult,” which is very fun and energetic sonically. “Difficult” sounds like it comes straight out of a high-school sleepover dance party scene out of some teenage rom-com in the best way possible; 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 beautiful lyrics with beautiful meaning in their foundations. Gracie Abrams improves significantly from her writing on her last EP, This is What It Feels Like. Abrams’ poetic development since her last release is shown most strongly through her compelling bridges throughout Good Riddance. The strongest example of Abrams’ masterful bridges is showcased on the previously mentioned single, “Where do we go now?” On a track with siren-like vocals and an addicting background 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 of “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 the listener to follow her wherever she ends up next.
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 looking out a window as someone is 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 nothing to scoff at either. Abrams’ tone is very comparable to that of Lorde, albeit a little bit softer. Abrams doesn’t venture too much outside of a safe-sounding vocal range throughout the album, but the moments when she explores her upper register as well as the deepest parts of her lower register are mesmerizing and ethereal to say the very least. “I should hate you” is one of the most wonderful vocal performances from Abrams on the album. The chorus sounds flawless and heavenly and is complimented incredibly well by the more stagnant sound sung throughout the verses. Her breathy and soft tone combines with hints of rasp in her voice, which make this track particularly entrancing.
Unfortunately, some of the most phenomenal vocal elements are only seen in a few moments throughout the album. Abrams’ layered harmonies are absolutely stunning, but the times when they are prevalent enough to fully notice and appreciate while listening casually are limited. The most prominent example of this is in the conclusion of the song “I know it won’t work.” Abrams delivers a chill-inducing upper harmony in the final chorus of the song that is most audible in the first few lines of the chorus until it starts to entirely fade away or blend too seamlessly in with the main vocals. Many of the songs would see a substantial increase in vocal quality if the harmonizing was not hidden so murkily in the background on many of the songs; increasing the volume of the already present harmonies or adding more beautiful layers of Abrams’ voice would add a whole new level of vocal genius to Good Riddance and Abrams’ future works.
However, while her vocals and lyrics provide many of the highlights of the album, Abrams does have an Achilles heel when it comes to both of these aspects in her songs: repetitiveness. While Good Riddance feels significantly less repetitive than many of the tracks on This is What It Feels Like, many of the songs on Good Riddance still fall victim to excessive usage of their choruses and one-liners and rather monotone vocals. “Fault line” is probably the worst offender when it comes to Abrams’ weaknesses on the album. The track sounds very nice with some soft and supple production elements and a decent bridge in the last half of the song. The guitar strumming in the background around two and a half minutes into the song is probably this track’s highlight; its delicate patterns make this song feel almost like home, but they are entirely too subtle to leave any significant lasting impact. Lyrically, melodically, and sonically, “Fault line” feels very repetitive and fails to have anything to fully hook listeners in, making it the weakest track on the album.
The opening track “Best” is also one of Abrams’ least impressive tracks on the album. “Best” actually dons some very pleasant production that sounds rustic and frigid as well as some of the greatest lyricism on the album, yet Abrams fails to deliver vocally. The production and lyrics successfully spark an anticipation that the song is going to really take off at the end, and those specific aspects of the song do meet that climatic expectation themselves. The bridge in “Best” is some of the strongest writing in the whole album; in her lyrics, Abrams reveals a self-aware introspection of her role within 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.”
However, in contrast to the lyrical and sonic build-up, Abrams fails to find any diversity within her vocal performance throughout “Best.” Abrams murmurs the same melody within the same few notes throughout the entirety of the track, and she does not attempt any difference in her inflection, enunciation, or tone throughout her delivery (which is desperately needed, especially in the repetitive chorus). While “Best” had the potential to be one the greatest on Good Riddance, its shortcomings weigh it down considerably in comparison to what the rest of the album has to offer.
“The blue” is a pretty strong track overall, but it faces similar issues with repetition that prevent it from being a much stronger track. This song in theory feels wonderful, but its execution prevents it from being as great as possible. It attempts to tell a love story between Abrams and a lover who came out of the blue, as referenced in the title. This song starts off very gentle and sweet, and the production seems like it starts to build throughout the song, with puffy electrical elements and gorgeous strings that slowly come in as the song progresses.
However, the song feels like it both overstays its welcome and ends before it's actually finished. A majority of the song is the chorus, which initially is wonderful with Abrams’ astonishing vocals and the feeling of peace it seems to exude; however, it is rather long and a bit repetitive lyrically, and by the time it repeats for the third time, it falters to maintain its same emotional impact. The story never really feels complete, either. The production builds, but there’s never any explosion in sound or a phenomenal bridge or anything that the first part of the song makes the listener expect. It feels like a puzzle that’s almost finished; you can tell what the picture is, but there’s a few pieces missing. You know what it’s supposed to be doing, but you never get the real satisfaction of seeing it happen. It’s reminiscent of “ceilings” by Lizzy McAlpine, but if “ceilings” never fully released at the end with its infamous plot-twist ending. “The blue” still manages to be an enjoyable track, but it feels almost unfinished.
Amongst the pretty good and somewhat lacking tracks on the album, there are two particular songs that stand out from everything else Gracie Abrams has to offer on Good Riddance. “Full machine” and “Amelie” both manifest lyrical, sonic, and vocal perfection from Abrams. The production on “Full machine” manufactures an incredibly unique and almost indescribable feeling. While sonically it does sound electric and industrial, the world it seems to create almost feels what might best be described as light and woodsy. This song feels like it fabricates its own unique world for the listener to explore. Abrams’ vocal performance in the chorus is raw and addicting. 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 creates that type of listening experience where the listener feels like they’re 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, ethereal, 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 the production for this song, and spurts of piano haunt evocatively in the background with little to no electronic elements. The acoustic ambience creates a particularly striking aura that none of the other songs on the album convey. Abrams’ light and breathy tone showcases incredible hints of subtle rasp throughout this track. While typically her higher notes have been the highlights of her vocals in previous tracks, 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 personally. Her story-telling shows unparalleled levels of pain, love, and genuinity, developing a stronger natural connection between listener and singer on “Amelie” than any other song on the album. The listener, too, might feel that Amelie is their own forlorn lover or estranged companion; Abrams' evergreen nostalgia and reminiscent melancholy transmit this feeling 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 it 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, despite still having a few flaws. 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. In “Right now,” 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.
Thank you so much for reading my review of Gracie Abrams’ Good Riddance. The album is absolutely worth a listen; as of right now, it’s still holding up in my top five albums released in 2023. If you’re going to listen or have already listened, be sure to let me know what tracks were your favorites and what you thought about the album as a whole! You can check Good Riddance out here:
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