Dreamy vocals, acoustic guitar, and devastatingly honest storytelling make this the perfect heartbreak album, but maybe not in the way that you would expect.
Gracie Abrams’ debut album Good Riddance tells the story of a breakup from the perspective of the person who left. The opening track ‘Best’ sets the tone for an album that will have you reaching for a box of tissues and your favorite old blanket. The song is packed with intricate details that make you feel as if you are experiencing everything with her, especially in the long, cathartic bridge. The line ‘I was never the best to you’ is the first of many occasions throughout this album that we hear the 23-year-old singer take responsibility for the destruction of the relationship.
‘I know it won't work’ continues the themes of lyrical vulnerability and honesty. The singer describes wanting her partner to move on as she knows that she is not good for them while struggling to move on herself. This is best portrayed in the breathtaking line: ‘I’m your ghost right now, your house is haunted’. After just two tracks, it is easy to sense a theme of a woman in her twenties trying to figure out what to let go of and what to hold onto and finding herself in the process.
‘I’m a rollercoaster, you’re a dead end street’ is the opening line to the third track ‘Full Machine’, and sums the song up perfectly. The feelings of sadness and distress are evident in her soft voice and this only intensifies a couple of tracks later as she sings the song's title ‘I should hate you’ with a shaky voice.
Almost every song on this album is telling the same story: A good relationship that fell apart because she did not feel the same anymore. It would have been interesting to hear more variation in the storytelling as she is phenomenal at it and songs like ‘Amelie’ and ‘The Blue’ that stray from the main topic really shine and stand out, but I can appreciate that this album feels like a snapshot of a very specific time in her life and she keeps your attention throughout with her devastating honesty.
Aaron Dessner has displayed his incredible skill for producing music of this genre in the past, including working with Taylor Swift to produce her sister albums Folklore and Evermore, and I could not imagine a better fit for the album. Each song feels like a haunting lullaby that makes you want to curl up and listen to it on a rainy day.
Things start to look up towards the end of the album, starting with the song ‘Difficult’ which displays a more upbeat production as she sings about growing up and moving on but still fighting the temptation to go back to what she knows she should let go of. The following track ‘This is what the drugs are for’ mixes a darker sound with Gracie's raw vocals and an overall theme of getting used to something but not getting over it. The production begins to feel lighter towards the end of the song which could represent her finally beginning to heal.
In an album filled with sadness and self-reflection, the songwriter gives listeners one shining moment of joy with ‘The Blue’, a song made up of the sweetest soft vocals, bright production, and hope. This track is about finally being ready to fall in love again and ignoring feelings of doubt, like when she questions ‘what if you’re my weakness?’.
The final track ‘Right now’ serves a sense of closure that feels needed at the end of this album. The sound of the piano and the cozy production make this song feel almost nostalgic, which fits flawlessly with the song's themes of feeling homesick and the loss that comes with getting older and moving away from your family. After listening to Gracie’s frustration with finding herself throughout this album, ending with the line ‘I feel like myself right now’ feels like the perfect comfort.