Album Review: “The Secret of Us” – Gracie Abrams

The Secret of Us” is Gracie Abrams’ sophomore full-length studio album and by far her most significant yet. Interscope distributed the album with producers Aaron Dessner, Sam de Jong, and Jack Antonoff.

The 24-year-old Abrams released the album on June 21 and has since reached the Billboard 200 albums chart, peaking at number 2. It sold 50,000 copies and received millions of streams across major platforms. 

Gracie Abrams, daughter of director J.J. Abrams, garnered audience attention for her first extended play, “Minor,” in 2020, and 2023’s “Good Riddance” as her freshman kickstart with Interscope Records, beginning her mainstream Billboard and radio success. 

“The Secret of Us” is her maturing out of teen pop, rejuvenating her approach to music production with help from her talented producers and guest superstar Taylor Swift. Several tracks inject contrasting yet welcome uptempo pop and indie music influences into one extraordinary album. 

The album’s themes reflect on the heartaches of gaining love and watching it torn down bit by bit with a partner. Abrams and her longtime friend, Audrey Hobert, wrote most of the songs together, and they excelled at adding profound perspectives to the album’s narrative.

The album’s lead single, “Risk,” was revealed on May 1, starting the hype train and causing fans to start itching to hear the next album. The song’s lyrics tell what it feels like to be so emotionally invested in and yearning for just one successful personal love story that you begin to imagine what it would be like to be with someone, even though you “Haven’t even met him.” As the title suggests, there’s risk involved with crushes, and many people can relate to being in such a precarious situation, battling an anxious feeling of desire. The song subverts expectations as it’s an upbeat love ballad dedicated to someone unaware or imaginary, a rather tragic story of unrequited love.

In an interview with Triple J, Abrams said that when writing and jamming with Hobert, the song “Risk” and the overall concept for the album “came from seeds of experiences, feelings, and relationships, in my life, my friend’s lives, but then we pushed them into these extremes.” She showcased how the song’s power comes from combining the emotions of everyone close to her and how the music could be relatable to the audience. 

Close To You” is the album’s second single and closing track, released on June 7. The track was teased for several years, with the first iteration on Instagram in 2017, playing on the piano. Abrams posted her official announcement on TikTok, telling her audience in the description, “It’s from a different time entirely. We had finished the whole record top to bottom, but I heard you loud and clear.” The 2018 version has a much more robust and raw sound and a heavier bass line.

It is her most poppy pop song; upon listening to the snippets from the past, it’s easy to recognize that she wholeheartedly revamped the song’s sound but honored the original vision within the lyrics to create a passionate begging desire to pursue a potential lover, even if it ends with heartbreak. It’s arguably the best song to end the record, like celebrating what’s to come.

If you want to own the acoustic version of “Risk / Close to You,” it’s available on the B-side on the album’s 7-inch vinyl release. 

The biggest highlight from the release was the fifth track, “us. (feat. Taylor Swift).” The track is a heartfelt duet, reminiscent of Swift’s most famous break-up songs and Abrams’ already profoundly ingrained perspective, allowing both to share the spotlight. Abrams and Swift’s history began in 2021 when Abrams accepted Swift’s birthday party invitation. Once the two became established friends, Swift invited Abrams again, this time to open multiple shows for Swift’s Eras Tour. 

In an interview with Vogue’s Rob Ledonne, she explained how the duet came to be. She observed that it’s rare for Taylor to be the featured artist on another musician’s project. “We spent a lot of time together over the past year, she and I, because of touring. She’s a dear friend who I can feel safe with,” Abrams said. 

Swift’s performance was a tremendous vocal compliment and energized the song, even making those who aren’t her biggest fans appreciate her appearance. Their friendship is apparent throughout the track; both enjoy their moment together, as demonstrated on the piano as they comedically fight an accidental fire. Their spark lit the album, making it one of the hottest and favorite tracks.

Abrams showed dedication to honing her talent by utilizing the lessons she learned from the challenges of previous albums and EPs. She created a highly personal record that speaks to every listener, telling a story of herself but allowing familiarity for everyone to relate. The entire album is a stellar performance and a rich amalgamation of pop genres for each track, further cementing the album’s greatness. 

To some, like myself, this is our first time listening to Gracie Abrams. It served as a remarkable benchmark for venturing into Abram’s previous projects. It’s a solid record for Gracie Abrams, who expanded and mastered her talent, making audiences joyful about her upward trajectory.

Connor Moody is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the summer 2024 quarter. He can be reached at cwmoody@uci.edu

Edited by Alaina Retodo and Annabelle Aguirre.

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