Here You Come, There You Go - Gracie Abrams (Review)
Hi everyone! This week, I wanted to do a review of Gracie Abram's new single Here You Come, There You Go, which was announced alongside her upcoming deluxe edition of Daughter From Hell. Let's get right into it..
My history with Gracie's music is complicated and weird. She first entered my radar when she opened for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, and I got the impression that she was just another singer trying to adopt the doomed songwriter identity. I didn't think her music was bad, but it didn't raise the bar and came off as slightly generic. When her album The Secret of Us was released, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed a few of its tracks. She still wasn't pushing the bar per se, but it felt as though she was evolving and starting to find her own identity. Songs like Risk, Close to You, and Blowing Smoke all felt somewhat fresh relative to her past releases. Once she released That's So True from the deluxe version of the album, it finally felt like she had done something truly unique and different. I was right on the edge of finally being able to call myself a fan- but I held my better judgment to see what she'd do next. Little did I know I would then be shot 52 times.
Here came Audrey Hobert, who co-wrote most of my favorite Gracie songs, and released her debut album Who's The Clown last year. Not only did I instantly consider myself a fan of hers without hesitation, but I (along with many others) realized something fairly quickly. That interesting songwriting style that Gracie had captivated me with wasn't entirely hers- it was mostly Audrey's. These days, That's So True feels less like a Gracie song and more like a Gracie Abrams cover of an Audrey Hobert song. Of course, I'm not claiming that Audrey wrote the entirety of that song, but her impact on that song is undeniable. If Audrey stopped co-writing for her, would I even be interested in her music anymore? After all, Audrey received so much praise for her album that it wouldn't really make sense to continue giving her ideas to another artist.
With that revelation, I was really interested to see what Gracie would do on her next project. Generally speaking, I thought she had the potential to be a good artist, but she needed good collaborators in order to bring that potential out. The lead single from her most recent album, titled Hit The Wall, was met with a resounding "eh". I'll admit that I find it quite catchy and pleasant to the ear, but the lyrics didn't pack as much of a punch as she wanted them to, which is unfortunate considering she's assumed the identity of a songwriter. The album itself was critically panned for being bland and derivative, which was exactly what I was afraid of. Safe to say I didn't pay much attention to this project and lost interest in becoming a fan.
So color me surprised when she announced a deluxe for this project, complete with a lead single called Here You Come, There You Go. I remember hearing the preview snippet for this single and feeling very confused. It seemed to be taking some rock inspiration, which was definitely an interesting development. The song came out about two weeks ago as of writing, and I decided to give Gracie another shot. What can I say, she really piqued my interest with that snippet.
In reality, this isn't a rock song at all. It starts out with a short guitar riff, but quickly transitions into an acoustic pop affair. I actually really like how this song sounds. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it uses a mix of guitars and string instruments to make it sound very light, despite the song's slightly aggressive tone. I love how some instruments chime in here and there; it adds a lot of texture to a soundscape that would typically be described as dull. This style is still faithful to Gracie's vibe, but feels more developed and distinct.
Musically speaking, the instrumental isn't the only good thing about this song. Gracie herself is using her vocals more dynamically than ever. Her vocals jump up and down the scale to create a memorable chorus, and gets pretty high up there during the second verse. In my opinion, this is the first time Gracie's actually using her vocals to her advantage. Which is definitely an improvement, as she's been critiqued in the past for having somewhat monotone vocal performances.
The cherry on top is that the writing is actually good this time. Not reinventing the wheel, but good nonetheless. She's describing a toxic relationship that keeps coming back to her over and over again, and how she falls for it every time, knowing how it will end. Millions of songs that tell the same tale exist, and yet this one manages to find a way to stand out. It has a vengeful air to it, but doesn't feel like it's overdoing it. I love the line: "Now you're wanting back in / Your big dramatic feelings". Not only do I love the sarcasm, but this is reminiscent of the kind of songwriting that Gracie is known for, telling you how she's feeling and letting you fill in the gaps. While this typically resulted in songs that felt too vague and unclear, here it's refined to a balanced medium.
Looking at the songwriting credits for this song, Audrey is absent, but Amy Allen is present. Amy is one of my favorite songwriters in pop music; she was one of the driving forces behind Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet and has had a hand in many of the big pop hits from the last few years. In addition, it looks like some of her key producers from before aren't on this song either. It's clear that switching up some of her collaborators had some positive effects on her artistry. I wonder if she will continue working with these people and will diversify her collaborations further.
To be clear, I'm not saying that these new collaborators are the sole reason Gracie was able to make such a good song. Even though this song slightly deviates from what she's done in the past, it still feels like a Gracie Abrams song. It still feels slightly unconventional, and the lyrics feel like a flow of consciousness rather than carefully crafted lines. While these factors have been known to work against her, they work in her favor this time around.
That's all I have to say about this song for now. I think it's absolutely a step in the right direction and has easily taken the throne as my favorite Gracie Abrams song. I'm going to hold my judgment, but I really hope the rest of this deluxe edition can deliver as well. Maybe I will review that once it comes out... who knows. For now, I'll leave you with that. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a great day!
Earworm ~-~-~o ♪
Thanks for reading!
-Joey :)
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