When Good Riddance came out in March, I didn’t think I could be any more obsessed with the album than I was after I listened to it for the first time. It was constantly on repeat, the lyrics engraving themselves into my brain and the melodies seeping into my bloodstream. Time and time again, I have had these songs in my playlists, on my mind, and in my heart.
Then, in mid-June, Gracie Abrams blessed my Spotify with a deluxe version of the album containing another three songs to serve as the soundtrack for my sad girl summer. Since then, I have carried these songs with me into fall, and I plan to continue listening into winter and on.
In addition to the three new songs, Abrams placed “Block Me Out” on the album, which was not originally there but had already been released as a single in April 2022. Its lyrics are painfully relatable; Abrams describes her own thoughts getting loud, and simply wanting to block herself out. Abrams emphasizes this message with repetition in the chorus, repeating the line “I wish that I could block me out” three times in the final chorus. While I’m unsure of why it wasn’t on the original album, I’m glad it found its place among the other tracks.
The first of the three new deluxe tracks is “Unsteady.” Abrams’ main allure is her songwriting that countless people find themselves relating to—including myself. Her ability to encapsulate the life of her listeners in lucid language is what makes this song special. Additionally, the production is masterful. The beat has an aura around it that feels somewhat off-putting, and this ambiance is echoed in the notes she uses during the verses. The lyrics and the production blend into one another to create a song that radiates the sentiment of being unsteady.
Another incredible song that exemplifies Abrams’ songwriting capabilities is “405.” She sings about a significant other who has left, leaving her as half of herself while the other person doesn’t care at all. Abrams’ singing voice can definitely be characterized as quiet and soft, and this song is no exception. Even so, her voice—although mellow—is full of emotion that can be heard throughout every word of the song.
The final song, closing out the album, is “Two People.” This song is by far my favorite of the deluxe tracks, and it’s one of my overall favorites as well. Abrams describes the very end of a relationship where two people were deeply in love for a long period of time, and now they’ve both changed and have nothing to say about it. The verses are full of melancholic sentences describing Abrams’ hopeless, diminishing love, which are then contrasted with the brevity of the chorus; she chalks up the relationship’s end to the fact that “Two people can change.”
Ever since 2021, when I first started listening to Abrams, I have been enthralled by each and every song she puts out, and I’m extremely euphoric that I now have three more to obsess over.
