Review: “The Secret of Us (Deluxe)” is simply awesome

After I witnessed Gracie Abrams When I sang “That’s So True” and “Packing It Up” live at Radio City Music Hall, I think I changed as a person. There was something so beautiful about thousands of fans screaming the lyrics to one unreleased track and then quietly waving their flashlights at another. When watching shaky videos on my phone wasn’t enough anymore, I was eagerly awaiting the release of a deluxe album. “The Secret of Us,” released June 21st, got me through the summer, and “The Secret of Us (Deluxe)” got me through the fall.

And so far it has been done. The album features four new songs and three live tracks that add depth of character and personality to the original release. It’s clear that Abrams is a songwriter first and foremost. While Abrams’ original album featured heartbreaking and disturbing lyrics, the deluxe album complements it with humor and lightheartedness.

It’s her performance that makes the tracks so captivating and you really have to listen to the lyrics to get the full experience. On “Cool,” the way she sings “maybe baby” at the beginning of the chorus is the vocal equivalent of watching an ASMR video. She even punctuates the end of her verses with phrases filled with confidence and attitude, singing, “Yeah, time can do something funny, it can change my mind/Thank God” or “Waste of mascara, you thought we’d make it.” I’m not saying/thought wrong.” Every word of Abrams’ lyrics is intentional, which is what makes them so relatable to her fans. It is at such moments that it is so easy to sing along with the deluxe version in the car or sing along to the soundtrack on the street.

Abrams weaves humor into all of her tracks and succeeds because of how honest they are. In “It’s So True,” she sings about an ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend, saying, “But I think I like her, she’s so fun/Wait, I think I hate her, I’m not that evolved.” She calls her ex an “idiot” and in “Cool” she calls him a “fake superstar.” Her energetic lyrics stand out because they are intertwined with more serious ones.

On my current favorite track, “I Told You Things,” Abrams sings, “I told you things I never told/I regret it to anyone else.” In this final chorus, these lyrics are accompanied by a gorgeous, funky mix of instrumentals accompanied by a fast drum beat. This is the best 41 seconds of the entire album. The song begins softly and sadly and becomes sonically and lyrically complex towards the end, hinting at hope despite the regret of that past relationship.

“Packing It Up” is the last new track on the deluxe album and the perfect ending. It speaks of the pure happiness of a new relationship and is the beginning of a new path in Abrams’ life. “I hope you get my dark sense of humor / Summer sunsets with my family / Don’t stop talking to me and maybe stay here forever / We could die here together, I’d do it gladly” – This is pure hope and passion, when the rest of the tracks are angry and disturbing. I listen to it now the same way I did when I heard it live, except the piano accompaniment is now guitar. However, the thrill I feel while listening never changes.

While the original album would have been a perfect release, “The Secret of Us (Deluxe)” includes three live versions of some of her most popular songs: “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” “I Knew It, I Know.” You” and “Free Now”. Live releases are perhaps some of the most underrated inclusions in a deluxe track, and that’s exactly what this album needs. Her voice is raw and unedited, capturing the emotions of these tracks with vulnerability in a way that the studio version sometimes fails to do. It provides a concert experience for those who have never seen her live, and allows me to remember a night I desperately want to relive.

Contact Emily Genova at (email protected).