Pop’s Next It Girl Misses

With a Grammy nomination for best new artist and an opening slot on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour under her belt, 22-year-old singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams should be positioned to become pop’s next It Girl. And like many indie-pop sad girls before her, her music is marked by a vulnerability that makes her both relatable and sympathetic.

Abrams’s second studio album, The Secret of Us, offers intimate glimpses into her interior world. Lead single “Risk” tells the story of the singer’s infatuation with a man she hardly knows. Her desire, anxiety, and confusion intensify throughout the song, as she morphs from initial uncertainty (“God, I’m actually invested/Haven’t even met him/Watch this be the wrong thing, classic”) to resoluteness (“Heard the risk is drowning, but I’m gonna take it”).

Later, on “Let It Happen,” Abrams’s ambivalence becomes even clearer. “I might barely know you but still/Don’t love you yet but probably will,” she muses. Unfortunately, the instrumentation on The Secret of Us lacks dimension. Abrams’s lyrics, delivered in a whispery vocal style, are routinely set against gentle backdrops of acoustic guitar and pulsing drums in the key of Swift (who’s featured on one track). Even the most lyrically profound songs start to feel monotonous stretched across 13 tracks.

While Abrams’s voice is undeniably pretty, it often lacks the power of her convictions. The sole exception is “I Knew It, I Know You,” on which she sings with absolute abandon. It’s rawer than anywhere else on the album. Conversely, she doubles down on her wispy vocals during the climax of “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” letting the song’s tension rise with no release.

Abrams’s gift for conveying her emotions in words, and the glimpses of vocal expression she teases throughout The Secret of Us, suggest she’s capable of striking a balance that might result in a truly great pop album. Here, though, the secret to that success eludes her.