The Secret of Us (Deluxe)
On Oct.18, Gracie Abrams added a fresh chapter to The Secret of Us by releasing a deluxe edition.
The new version of the record featured four previously unreleased songs, including “Cool,” “That’s So True,” “I Told You Things,” and “Packing It Up,” as well as three live renditions of fan-favorite tracks: “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” “I Knew It, I Know You,” and “Free Now”.
Abrams took to Instagram to announce the deluxe edition, sharing her excitement with fans and revealing the updated tracklist. “I could float away,” she wrote.
Select fans already got a sneak-peak of the new material, with Abrams performing “That’s So True” during her U.S. Secret of Us tour.
Up next for the rising star is a continuation of her relationship with Taylor Swift. She has an opening spot on the second leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in the United States. There, she’ll be performing alongside Swift before heading to Europe for her own tour in early 2025.
Abrams first released The Secret of Us in June 2024. The album had production and songwriting collaboration with Aaron Dessner, along with other songwriting contributions from her close friend Audrey Hobert.
Rolling Stone praised Abrams for refining her songwriting, calling the deluxe album “a proper showcase” of her growth as an artist.
Taking a page out of producer Aaron Dessner’s book, the album blends folk and pop while exploring the intricacy of relationships in your early twenties.
While TSOU and its deluxe counterpart might be centered around the rise and fall of a whirlwind romance, to call it a breakup album would be a fundamental misdiagnosis of its purpose.
The album is a breakup-inspired journey of bitterness (“Tell me is she prettier than she was on the Internet?”), acceptance (“Never been less empty / all I feel is free now”), girlhood (“No chance I waste my twenties on random men / not one of them is tougher than all my friends”), and introspection (“Making amends / this sh*t never ends / I’m wrong again”).
The deluxe version of the album expands further on these concepts by offering new perspectives on the aftermath of failed love and self-discovery. The live versions also bring a raw, vulnerable energy to the record.
Essentially, The Secret of Us (Deluxe) is not just an extension of an album but a more nuanced continuation of the journey it takes listeners on. Below, you’ll find my personal breakdown of two new deluxe songs.
- Track 14 — “Cool”
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Fans of Abrams who discovered her through Taylor Swift might appreciate the Swift-like name-dropping featured on “Cool.” In it, our narrator navigates post-breakup emotions with a mix of defensiveness and seemingly disingenuous indifference.
She admits her love is unreciprocated and declares her newfound detachment with, “Now I’m so cool / I’ll be cool for the hell of it.”
Abrams name-drops her ex’s friends and alludes to his history of mistreating other women with the biting lyric, “You stranded Sadie and Sarah when they opened up,” delivering a powerful indictment of his behavior.
Despite her resolve, daggers of hurt linger beneath the surface, making “Cool” an on-the-surface act of defiance and a deeper reflection on healing.
- Track 15 — “That’s so true”
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In a fan-favorite “That’s So True,” Abrams is haunted by intrusive thoughts of her ex-partner happy with a new girl. Abrams conveys post-breakup comparisons through lines like “Living in your glass house, I’m outside, looking in her big blue eyes” and “Taking off your shirt / I did that once, or twice.”
She captures conflicting emotions—such as liking and hating the new girl—with “I think I like her; she’s so fun / Wait, I think I hate her; I’m not that evolved.”
The bridge is particularly striking due to the intensified, faster instrumental production. Abrams uses her signature bridge technique of rapid-fire lyrics, almost blurring the line between singing and rapping, creating a desperate, impactful moment in the track.
a rising voice in the industry
Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us (Deluxe) offers a familiar but evolved look into Abrams’ songwriting skills. The deluxe tracks add a new narrative to her storytelling within the album. Still, the record remains a powerful narrative, transcending the typical breakup album. Abrams proves yet again that she is a rising voice to watch in the music industry.