Gracie Abrams released the highly anticipated deluxe version of her album “The Secret of Us” on Oct. 18.
The new release added four new songs to the album: “Cool,” “That’s So True,” “I Told You Things” and “Packing It Up.” The album also included three previously released live covers of “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” “I Knew It, I Knew You” and “Free Now.”
Abrams teased the four new songs on her “The Secret of Us” tour, which recently concluded its North American leg. She played three of the new releases as surprise songs during her tour sets at shows in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City.
Fans of Abrams hoped she would include the long-time favorite, unreleased love song “In Between,” which garnered attention online for its use of Taylor Swift song titles in its lyrics. However, fans online were disappointed when it was not included in the tracklist.
The four new songs fit perfectly with the rest of the album while offering new perspectives on Abrams’ heartbreak. Listening to “The Secret of Us” and its new tracks feels like a dive into her diary during a breakup. It takes listeners through stages of heartbreak like sadness, annoyance and finally freedom.
The first of the four new tracks, “Cool,” discusses indifference and defensiveness after a breakup. Abrams is telling her ex-lover everything he did wrong, noting how he hurt his ex-girlfriends the same way.
Throughout the song, Abrams is proclaiming that she is “cool” and she’ll continue to be so in a self-declaration of being over him and content.
In contrast, “That’s So True,” paints a sassy Abrams who’s struggling to move on, yet letting her intrusive thoughts on her ex’s new girlfriend consume her mind.
Abrams expresses her conflicting thoughts on his new girlfriend, thinking about all of the moves her ex-boyfriend is reusing with his new lover, while simultaneously warning the new girlfriend that she barely made it out of the relationship alive.
Abrams desperately sings that she told everyone she was fine after the breakup but was saying it “from her coffin.”
“I Told You Things,” however, pivots to a much more melancholy tone. Abrams is sad, reminiscing on what she lost at the end of a relationship.
Through evocative imagery, Abrams tells the story of feeling insane after a breakup. She’s reading into his small actions, thinking it's a sign her ex-boyfriend wants her back, which is only sending her into a painful spiral.
The final deluxe track, “Packing It Up,” features more intimate, acoustic instrumentals that pair beautifully with Abrams’ narrative and conversational vocals and lyricism.
While the other three deluxe tracks tell stories of heartbreak and its real struggles, “Packing It Up” is the discovery of a new love. It captures the nuances of a new relationship and finding love when it's least expected, and serves as a perfect conclusion to the quartet of deluxe tracks.
After listeners go through the stages of grief in a breakup alongside Abrams, it’s cathartic to hear Abrams has finally found a new love that makes her feel safe.
This article was edited by Jessica Ackerman, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Emma Brown and Ariana Kavoossi.
