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New Music Friday – June 21, 2024

If we wanted, New Music Friday could have simply been this teaser video from Katy Perry’s upcoming single. That’ll have to wait until the full track is released because Gracie Abrams has a new album out. Read on to see what’s good about Abrams’ new LP (besides a feature from Taylor Swift) and what else is worth a listen this week.

The Best of New Music Friday:

Gracie Abrams – The Secret of Us

Gracie Abrams’ second LP The Secret of Us is a summery pop record that leans heavily into fast-paced acoustic charm. Abrams has developed a style that pulls from all walks of pop. Guitars and solid lyricism push her career further forward.

On her new cleanly-produced album, Abrams makes one thing clear: she can write. Its hit single “Risk” proves she can talk about existential crises of love better than most. “God, I’m actually invested, haven’t even met him // Watch this be the wrong thing // Classic // God, I’m jumping in the deep end, it’s more fun to swim in // Heard the risk is drownin’, but I’m gonna take it,” she sings. A quickly-strummed acoustic guitar plays underneath Abrams’ voice. It keeps a beat and pushes her along.

Abrams wrote most of The Secret of Us with her frequent collaborator Aaron Dessner of The National. The two combine talents to carry along this nearly 50-minute-long album.

Oh, Taylor Swift stops by to make an appearance too, just as Abrams gets ready to join in on the next Eras Tour leg. “Us.” is another tune that gets its beat from a uniquely strummed guitar. Swift’s appearance doesn’t come in the form of her own complete verse, but rather duetting as the harmony to Abrams’ chorus. Swift gets a few quick lines here and there. Mostly, she’s there to sing and pose the question “Do you miss the secret of us?”

On “Normal Thing,” subdued synths are accompanied by the ebb and flow of percolating beats, the anticipation of a breakdown flying under the surface and never quite erupting into clubby, full-blown euphoria that is often heard in pop songs.

Abrams isn’t afraid to lean into the poppiness on The Secret of Us. Her songwriting style and folkiness match well with nice bass lines that can pleasingly nod listeners’ heads. Even if that’s not Abrams’ goal, it’s mission accomplished.

New Music Friday Top Picks:

Been Stellar – Scream from New York, NY

Kehlani – Crash

O. – WeirdOs

Peso Pluma – Éxodo

Suki Waterhouse – “Supersad”

Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!

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Ben Pagani

Music Projects Manager at Beyond The Stage Magazine

Joining BTS as an intern in summer 2021, Ben stayed with the team as a writer and has been an editor for several years. Ben’s journalistic background includes 4 Emmy award wins for news producing. They grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and lived in Cleveland, OH for several years before finding a new home in Minneapolis, MN. They’ve found new and exciting ways to tap into the local music scene no matter where they’ve lived. Working at BTS has now opened the gates to chatting with top global artists. When they aren’t writing for BTS, they can be found riding a bicycle or spinning records while DJ’ing across the midwest.