Megan Brownell social media editor
Gracie Abrams released her debut album Good Riddance on Feb. 24, 2023. It was her first true album, as she had only released a few EPs and singles before. Though it did not have success on the charts in its initial release, Abrams has increased in popularity in the last few months and the album has grown in popularity as well.
The opening track is “Best.” While Abrams has more pop songs peak in popularity, her original best music was sadder, depressing, relatable songs. “Best” leans into that style, knowing she was not the best for someone and singing the pain that followed from that.
My favorite track has to be track five, “Where do we go now?” The song shares the pain and confusion of where to go with someone after she starts to realize the relationship is not going well. She knows their “light is burning out,” and that their love is not the same, but does not know how to keep going with things. I love how much emotion Abrams has when singing it, and after hearing it live myself, she always has that same passion in performing the song. This style of hers is what keeps her music so relatable, especially in times of needing more depressing music.
Some of the songs were pre-released singles that were added to the album to make her debut big. One of my favorites is “Block me out.” In this, Abrams sings about how she can be her own downfall, and the troubles of feeling that way, wishing she could block herself off. I love how she expresses this pain to be relatable for listeners, which makes the song even better.
With Abrams’ original style of mostly sad songs, this whole album takes on that style. While it might not be appealing to all listeners, I think it is what makes it such a great album. It shares her pain for those to relate to when they need music to help them through hard times.
The album closes out with track sixteen, “Two People.” While it is a good track, it does not add anything special, being the closing track like how some final tracks sound perfect to end the album. Despite this, I cannot discredit the song as it is still great. It follows the same themes of depression from a relationship.
While “Good Riddance” may seem like a different album to newer Abrams fans, it is her original expertise that makes her such a great artist that many fans have loved for years. It can be different for some people, as I originally liked her pop music first but slowly got into the sadder songs and love all of them now. I give the album as a whole an 8/10, as there are still a few songs I need to listen to more and enjoy. It is the perfect album to make you feel better in hard times, as the songs can be relatable to most people who are dealing with sad or difficult relationships.
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