By Alaina Merchant, Panther Paw and A&E Editor
On June 21, pop star Gracie Abrams came out with her second studio album “The Secret of Us.” Abrams has three singles on the album along with ten other tracks with a running total of thirteen tracks. With that, the album is 48 minutes long.
It was produced by both Abrams and Aaron Dessner who also collaborated with her on her first studio album. The album genre is a mix of country pop, indie pop and folk. This album is filled with a powerful amount of emotions.
Starting off strong with “Felt Good About You” which is the first track on the album. This song is two minutes and forty-five seconds long.This song explains how the relationship was more bad than it ever was good. She repeats the lyrics “felt good about you” trying to convince herself that it wasn’t as bad as others say it was. She states that she wished she would have listened to the people on the outside. She then realizes that she felt fuller without them knowing that she is healing from all the pain that was inflicted.
Moving onto “Risk,” it happens to be both the second track on the album and the first single that she released on May 1. It is also three minutes and twelve seconds long. The song shows how she would take the risk of getting hurt to get the love that she yearns for. It goes back and forth from the beginning before anything that happened to after when she regrets what she did. The end of it she wished she never took that risk and left him alone.
Hopping over to the third track is “Blowing Smoke” and is three minutes and fifty-two seconds long. She talks in desperation asking the man she was no longer with about the girl he moved onto. She spits out question after question comparing the two girls together. Seeing if he moved on just to get back on her or if he actually loves the new girl. Then speaks about how he settles for any breathing girl to make him look desperate.
“I Love You, I’m Sorry” is the fourth track as well as the second single. The song happens to be two minutes and thirty-seven seconds long. This song shows her sadness, anger and the peace of her letting go. While compared to her past song “I miss you, I’m sorry” that showed her longing for the relationship to come back. This song starts off explaining how “that’s just the way life goes.” As if she can move on so should he and let her go. Yet it also shows her sadness and anger throughout the chorus telling that she wasn’t the only bad guy in the relationship.
The fifth track is “us. (feat. Taylor Swift)” and is four minutes and three seconds long. This song shows the regret she has of letting the relationship go. She asks questions over and over trying to get him to respond with the answer that she wants. Swift’s lines talk about how after a while he will be over the hurt and they can re-try things. Abram then lets out her anger trying to express that he should be missing her enough to talk to her.
“Let It Happen” is the sixth track and is four minutes and twenty seconds long. This song talks about how she would let anything happen between her and the man. Saying she’d just go with the flow to see what falls into place without trying to push into more than she already has. Explaining how she would only let him put her through all of this emotion. She repeats the lyrics “let it happen” many times trying to justify everything that has fallen into place.
“Tough Love” is the seventh track and is two minutes and forty-eight seconds long. This song is about how a relationship is a back and forth type of love. Showing how they continue to argue and that she’ll stay in it until she gets bored. This song is a very back and forth on emotions.
The eighth track is “I Knew It, I Know You” and is four minutes and thirteen seconds long. This song is her remembering memories from when they were together. As she talks about how she waits and waits for apologies she also talks about how she knew in the back of her head why he isn’t. She continues to explain that she doesn’t understand why he doesn’t get the same urge to reach out.
”Gave You I Gave You I” is the ninth track that lasts for four minutes and twenty-nine seconds. I feel like this song is her accepting that what they had is over. She talks about how he treated her like she was nothing and it upsets her knowing that someone she deeply cared for gave her the cold shoulder.
The tenth track is “Normal Thing” and is four minutes and two seconds long. This song makes me feel like she’s trying to decipher the relationship. This song goes from slower and faster and it reminds me of her putting all the pieces together in her head and finally putting the puzzle together.
“Good Luck Charlie” is the eleventh track and is three minutes and fifty-four seconds long. This song makes me think that she’s talking to herself in the mirror recapping everything that had happened in the past as well as wishing her luck. It’s like she doesn’t want her past happy self to keep letting him hurt her more and more.
The twelfth track is “Free Now” and is three minutes and thirty-four seconds long. This song shows that she knows what’s best for her and it’s not the relationship she’s in. saying how she couldn’t fall completely in love with him. She shows a lot of guilt in this song saying that she knows he’s an amazing guy but she just can’t love herself to the full extent and doesn’t just want to drag him along.
The last single and track on this album is “Close To You” and is at three minutes and forty-three seconds long. This song starts off very slow explaining how she wants to be closer to a guy that doesn’t even know her name. She explains how she would give up everything she had just to be with him.
Overall, I really enjoyed this album. It was full of emotions with all of the wording she put in; even with the beat of the songs she gives us so much detail. I highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys the sappiness of music.
