• Source: Good Riddance (album)

Good Riddance is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams. It was released on February 24, 2023, through Interscope Records. After the release of two successful EPs, Abrams began recording Good Riddance at Aaron Dessner's Long Pond Studio in Hudson Valley, New York across a 25-day period. The album was produced by Dessner and written by both Abrams and Dessner. The producer Matias Tellez provided additional production on the tracks "I Know It Won't Work" and "Where Do We Go Now?" and the musician Brian Eno co-wrote and co-produced the closing track "Right Now". A deluxe edition of the album with four bonus tracks was released on June 16, 2023.
Good Riddance is primarily a pop album with soft, whispered vocals and moody production. Following themes of guilt, inner shames, and the troubles that come with growing up, the album is primarily written about Abrams' breakup with Blake Slatkin. The album was promoted by four singles and the Good Riddance Tour across North America, Europe, and Australia. Critics gave the album generally favorable reviews, praising Abrams' confessional songwriting but felt mixed about Dessner's production. Several publications featured it on their year-end lists.




Background


Gracie Abrams was interested in journaling and playing the piano since age eight. Though she never considered performing music professionally, Abrams released her debut EP Minor in 2020, followed by This Is What It Feels Like in 2021. The EPs helped gain Abrams attention from high-profile musicians such as Billie Eilish, Lorde, and Olivia Rodrigo. They also received critical acclaim, allowing This Is What It Feels Like to place sixth on Coup de Main's list of the best albums of 2021. Abrams joined alongside Rodrigo's Sour Tour and headlined the This Is What It Feels Like Tour. Abrams later drew the attention of Taylor Swift, who invited Abrams to open for Swift's The Eras Tour.




Writing and recording


When writing Good Riddance, Abrams practiced on being more accountable and a better partner in future relationships. Abrams enlisted returning collaborator Aaron Dessner of the National as the album's producer and co-writer. The album was recorded at Dessner's Long Pond Studio in Hudson Valley, New York. Abrams would often work 12-hour days and would write up to two songs a day while staying with Dessner and his family at Long Pond. Abrams had recently gone through a breakup with the producer Blake Slatkin during the early stages of writing the album, which led her to feel insecure when writing about the breakup. Dessner convinced Abrams to move forward with writing and recording the songs. The two would often have "long and honest conversations about love, life, and everything in between."
Abrams had been a fan of the National since age 12. Abrams was introduced to Dessner through the lawyer they share during 2019 because the lawyer felt that Abrams and Dessner would get along. The process of creating Good Riddance started when Dessner invited Abrams to record at Long Pond during 2021. Over the course of two years, Abrams would visit Long Pond for five or 10 days at a time and worked with Dessner. When working with Dessner, she didn't "feel remotely filtered in any capacity", leading him to produce tracks on This Is What It Feels Like. She had felt lucky about being able to evolve without Slatkin, a former collaborator of Abrams, and that "with Aaron, [she] felt safe to figure out [her] sound alone" when writing Good Riddance. Abrams felt that recording in Long Pond was more inspiring and comfortable compared to recording in Los Angeles and was isolated from distractions. She also has said that Dessner has the ability to make people "feel safe to explore the most raw parts of themselves" and reminded her that "holding space for brutal honesty in songwriting is kind of the whole point". Though she hasn't spent time in upstate New York prior to recording the album, it had a sense of familiarity that made her comfortable. The album was recorded across a 25-day period.
The producer Matias Tellez provided additional production on the tracks "I Know It Won't Work" and "Where Do We Go Now?" and the musician Brian Eno co-produced the closing track "Right Now". Abrams finished her contributions to the album on September 7, 2022.




Composition






= Overview

=
The standard edition of Good Riddance includes 12 tracks; the deluxe edition contains four additional tracks. The album predominantly has a pop sound, with an influence of indie rock. Isabella Miller of Clash said that the album has elements of "alternative folk blended with playful electronics." Jane Bua of Pitchfork classified the album as "whisperpop" while Miller labelled the album as "sad girl pop". Miller also wrote that "there's an evident shift in the direction of [Abrams'] sound" and attributes it to either Dessner's production or "a deliberate choice from Abrams". Hannah Mylrea of NME noted that the album held similarities to Phoebe Bridgers and Folklore (2020) by Taylor Swift.
Good Riddance describes Abrams' breakup with Slatkin. The album presents Abrams' distinctive whispered vocals addressing themes of guilt, inner shames, and the troubles that come with growing up. Martyn Young of Dork wrote that the tracks "begin delicately before swelling to quietly epic proportions." Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club called the album "soft and quiet, but also soothing and heartbreaking at the same time". Dork wrote that the album takes you on "a journey through a spectrum of emotions" and that "each song blossoms from a whisper to a crescendo, encapsulating the most simple yet resonant feelings." Maya Georgi of Rolling Stone described the album's melodies as "soft-spoken" and "simple" and are "steeped in sadness but still pack a punch." Critics universally described Abrams' songwriting as "confessional".




= Songs

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The album's opening track, "Best", analyzes Abrams' misgivings in a relationship and takes responsibility for them. The second track, "I Know It Won't Work", is an indie rock song about "breaking off a relationship with a partner who won’t go easily", as described by Cordelia Lam of The Forty-Five. Lam also described the production in "Full Machine" as consisting of "cool, moody textures" and that the track is "a thoughtful and revelatory exploration of the relationships by which we define our lives and what happens to them when we change." "Where Do We Go Now?" contains "swooning" strings, synthesizers, and repeated loops of the title. Lyndsey Havens of Billboard noted that "the song eventually becomes less about the status of her relationship to another person and more about the status of anyone’s relationship with the world around them." On the fifth track, "I Should Hate You", Abrams discusses the "complex position of wanting to hate someone she still loves" as the "dejected" and "intensifying" pop track sonically unravels. "Will You Cry?" further alludes to Abrams' breakup with Slatkin, examining her mental health, family and friends, and "the woes that come with navigating your early 20s." It admits the fact that there is "nothing left" in the relationship and that if she doesn't end the relationship, she would lose herself.
For Pitchfork, Bua described "Amelie" as "bewitching" and noted that it "captures a sense of aching beauty that stands out amongst the album’s more passive moments" atop a finger-picked acoustic guitar and "foggy" piano notes. She also proposed the idea that "'Amelie' could be anyone: a past lover, a lost childhood friend, an alter ego." Hannah Dailey of Billboard called it "a tender love letter to the ways a stranger can permanently alter our lives without realizing." Its lyrics question whether Amelie is a real person or if Abrams' memory is playing tricks on her. The theme of guilt is again explored on the high-energy and upbeat "Difficult". Will Schube of uDiscover Music wrote that the track contains beats from a drum machine, a "delicate" piano, "crystalline" textures, and a "soaring" chorus as Abrams discusses the "claustrophobia that comes with being unable to escape your own thoughts and possibly destructive patterns". Habi Diallo of Dazed wrote that both "Difficult" and the following "This Is What the Drugs Are For" "[unpack] relatable experiences such as losing friendships, therapy and the guilt that comes with leaving home." The track recalls Abrams' use of drugs to numb the pain of the memories of her past relationship. Gajjar described it as "evocative". "Fault Line" acknowledges the faults of her ex-partner. It also reveals that Abrams had recovered from their breakup. The penultimate "The Blue" marks a turning point in the album's theme, focusing on a new love after Abrams recovered from her ex-partner. While the earlier tracks have more dejected themes, the track is hopeful and optimistic. The album's final track, "Right Now", reflects on the difficulty of life as it goes on and leaving the past behind atop simplistic production that is powered by "whirring" synthesizers.




Promotion and release



The lead single to Good Riddance, "Difficult", was released on October 7, 2022. Abrams announced the album on January 9, 2023 alongside the announcement of the North American leg of the Good Riddance Tour, which she began on March 7. She released the second single "Where Do We Go Now?" on January 13, which was accompanied by a music video directed by Gia Coppola. The album's third single "Amelie" released on February 10. "I Know It Won't Work" was also released as a single alongside the album's release on February 23. The deluxe edition of Good Riddance was announced on April 24, and released on June 16. It added four bonus tracks, including "Block Me Out", which was released as a single on April 8, 2022. On August 15, 2023, she announced Australian dates of the Good Riddance Tour, which began on January 15, 2024. During September 2023, she performed three acoustic shows titled "The Good Riddance Acoustic Shows" across North America with Dessner. She also embarked on the European leg of the Good Riddance Tour throughout September and October 2023.




Critical reception



Upon its release, Good Riddance received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted average score of 73 based on six reviews. The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Writing for Dork, Martyn Young felt the album had "incredible depth" and "possesses an atmosphere and charm all of its own", calling it an "emotional rollercoaster". The Line of Best Fit's Amaya Lin said the album "verges on greatness" and called it "an incredibly honest portrayal of guilt, doubt, and heartbreak." For NME, Hannah Mylrea said "the lyrics often spill like water" due to Abrams' exposing a vulnerable side of herself. Elle Muller of The Dartmouth said the Abrams "mature honesty in her storytelling" makes the album stand out.
Numerous reviewers singled out Abrams' songwriting for praise. Young called it "a masterclass in intimate and evocative songwriting" and described her songwriting as "very special". Mylrea wrote that Abrams "has a knack for storytelling" and that her songwriting makes her music "shine." Clash's Isabella Miller thought that "There’s much to be said of [Abrams'] lyricism" and that Abrams has a "talent for penning lyrics that resonate with the heartbroken." Of the South China Morning Post, Chinny Kwok wrote that Abrams' lyricism "exceed expectations and prove she is a profound songwriter." Writing for The Eastern Echo, Caitlin Michael said that "The lyrics are heavy but worth it." The i's Kate Solomon said Abrams' songwriting twists expectations and compared her lyricism to that of Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift. Muller called Abrams' songwriting "exceptionally well done", her storytelling "beautiful", and thought that with each listen, "new beautiful lyrics jump out." Conversely, Pitchfork's Jane Bua thought Abrams' writing was cliché. Lin thought the songwriting was "both hyperspecific and extremely vague" and felt that the situations and characters presented in the tracks lacked essential context.
Critics had mixed opinions regarding Dessner's production. Muller wished that Abrams pushed the production further and thought it needed more variety. Bua called the production unadventurous and thought it made the record feel stagnant. Mylrea highlighted Dessner's distinctive touch on the tracks and thought that his production added a new depth to Abrams' sound. Young called the production sympathetic. Solomon described the production as low-key. Lin opined that Dessner's production illuminated "an especially delicate side of Abrams' confessional songwriting".




= Year-end lists

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Track listing



Notes

All tracks are stylized in sentence case.




Personnel






= Musicians

=
Gracie Abrams – lead vocals (all tracks), Wurlitzer electric piano (10)
Aaron Dessner – acoustic guitar (1, 6–10, 13), baritone guitar (11), bass (3, 5, 6, 8–10, 12, 13, 15), cymbals (1), drum programming (2, 4–6, 11–16), electric bass (1), electric guitar (1–5, 8, 9, 11, 13–16), guitar (1, 5, 9, 10, 14–16), Mellotron (1, 2, 6, 11, 14), ophicleide (4), percussion (1, 4–6), piano (1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 16), shaker (3, 10), synth bass (1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 14, 16), synthesizer (1–6, 8–12, 14–16), tambourine (1), Wurlitzer electric piano (2, 3, 9, 10, 12)
Jonathan Low – synth bass (8)
James McAlister – drums (4–7, 9, 14–16), drum programming (8), electric guitar (2, 3, 5), guitar (5), keyboards (1–5, 9, 14, 16), maracas (9, 14), Moog bass (2, 5–7, 9, 10, 14), percussion (8, 11, 12), piano (7), shaker (6, 16), synth bass (15), synthesizer (2–14, 16), tambourine (3, 9), tom-toms (16), woodwinds (16)
Rob Moose – orchestration (4), piano (4), strings (13), viola (4, 11, 14), violin (4, 11, 14)
Thomas Bartlett – piano (1–12, 16), synthesizer (1–12, 16), Mellotron (1–6, 8, 11), keyboards (1), ophicleide (8, 14) Wurlitzer electric piano (1–5, 7, 8, 11)
Ben Lanz – synthesizer (1, 4–6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16), trombone (16)
Matt Barrick – drums (1, 3, 9, 13, 14) percussion (2, 3, 9), tambourine (13)
James Krivchenia – drums (2, 3, 5, 14), percussion (5)
Bryce Dessner – electric guitar (2, 3)
Bryan Devendorf – drums (8)




= Technical

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Aaron Dessner – production, engineering
Randy Merrill – mastering (1–12, 14–16)
Steve Fallone – mastering (13)
Jonathan Low – mixing (all tracks), engineering (1–12, 14–16)
Bella Blasko – engineering (1–7, 9–)
James McAlister – engineering (1–3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 15)
Thomas Bartlett – engineering (1–3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 15)
Ben Lanz – engineering (1, 5, 15)
Matt Barrick – engineering (13)
Rob Moose – engineering (13)
Matias Tellez – additional production (2, 4)
Mick Raskin – vocal engineering (8)




Charts






Release history






Notes






References

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