GRACIE ABRAMS RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM Good Riddance
ACCLAIMED singer-SONGWRITER SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO
“I Know It Won’t Work”
ABRAMS TO KICK OFF NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR MARCH 6
Santa Monica, California, February 23, 2023 — Today marks the highly anticipated release of
Good Riddance, the debut album from acclaimed singer-songwriter
Gracie Abrams. Produced by
Aaron Dessner of
The National,
Good Riddance finds
Abrams opening up about a recent period of intense transformation, bringing even more honesty and depth to her lyrical storytelling.
Good Riddance is available now
HERE.
To celebrate the arrival of
Good Riddance, the 23-year-old artist is also sharing her quietly cathartic new single
“I know it won’t work” and its accompanying video. Directed by Julian Klincewicz the video for
“I know it won’t work” shifts from stark black-and-white to hyper-saturated color as it alternates between two striking scenes: one that finds
Abrams on horseback in a lush and sunlit field, the other following along as she wanders through the surf of the Pacific Ocean. Filmed in the Santa Barbara area, the gorgeously shot visual ultimately reflects the raw and radiant naturalism at the heart of
Abrams’s songwriting. Watch the video for
“I know it won’t work” HERE.
Recorded at Long Pond Studio (the Hudson Valley homebase for Dessner), Good Riddance took shape as Abrams pushed herself toward a sometimes-daunting level of emotional truth in her songwriting.
“Making this album was the most cathartic experience I’ve ever had as a songwriter, and I’m so excited to share it with the world,” says Abrams. “I wrote it while I was going through some of the biggest transitions of my life so far, and the songs came from trying to look at myself very honestly and hold myself accountable. Aaron supported me through all that, while also challenging me in all the ways I’d ever dreamed a creative partner would. He’s been a hero of mine for years, and as our instincts combined it ended up creating a sound that we both really fell in love with.”
“Gracie first came to work with me at Long Pond two years ago and since then we have gathered many times, growing closer and generally writing multiple songs a day together,” says Aaron Dessner. “It’s been one of the most natural and prolific collaborations of my career – the tonality of music I would make each day somehow served as an ideal home for Gracie’s introspective lyricism and sense of melody…she showed such courage allowing herself to be vulnerable and making songs with me that are at turns minimalist and fragile, forceful and cathartic and where the music is allowed to breathe.”
Earlier this month,
Rolling Stone published a
feature story in which Abrams reflected on the making of
Good Riddance, with her future tourmate
Taylor Swift chiming in to note that “Gracie’s writing mixes fragility with introspection in a way that I really relate to.” Praising
Good Riddance as “one of 2023’s best debuts,”
Rolling Stone stated
that
the
album “shows a serious command of autobiographical songwriting” and hailed
Abrams as “one of pop’s buzziest young artists.”
Tonight, Abrams takes the stage on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a performance of “I know it won’t work,” returning to the late-night show for the first time since 2021. A prime example of Good Riddance’s uncompromising emotionality, “I know it won’t work” captures the wildly conflicting feelings that arise at the end of a long-term relationship, its lyrics drifting from heavy-hearted poetry (“All the shine of half a decade fading”) to frustrated confession (“I’m thinking everything you wish I wasn’t”). With its hypnotic guitar tones, moody synth, and gently propulsive rhythms, “I know it won’t work” also epitomizes the album’s understated yet intricately detailed sound — a mesmerizing form of alt-pop that finds Abrams straying even further from the confines of pop convention.
Along with “I know it won’t work,” Good Riddance includes the previously released singles “Difficult,” “Where do we go now?” (a January release accompanied by a gorgeously composed video directed by Gia Coppola), and “Amelie” (a hazy reverie acclaimed by the likes of Uproxx, who highlighted Abrams’s “knack for visceral storytelling”). Check out the album’s full tracklist below.
Tracklist for Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams:
1. Best
2. I know it won’t work
3. Full machine
4. Where do we go now?
5. I should hate you
6. Will you cry?
7. Amelie
8. Difficult
9. This is what the drugs are for
10. Fault line
11. The blue
12. Right now
Early next month,
Abrams embarks on her sold out North American headlining tour in support of her debut album. With
Tiny Habits opening on all dates,
The Good Riddance Tour kicks off on March 6 at The House of Blues in in Chicago and continues through April 11 at The UC Theatre in Berkeley, CA. In addition to performing in 14 cities across the U.S.,
Abrams will join
Taylor Swift on select dates for her blockbuster
Eras Tour. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit
www.gracieabrams.com/tour.
ABOUT GRACIE ABRAMS
Since making her debut with “Mean It” in October 2019, Gracie Abrams has emerged as one of the most compelling songwriters of her generation, earning the admiration of such likeminded artists as Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo. A consummate songwriter who names Joni Mitchell as her most formative influence, she penned her first song at age eight, then went on to amass a devoted following on the strength of her emotionally intimate lyrics and DIY sensibilities. As her profile rose, Abrams was named an artist to watch by tastemaking outlets like Pigeons & Planes, Fader, and i-D, in addition to being crowned one of seven breakout female musicians by Vogue UK. With the arrival of her debut project minor in summer 2020, she received glowing reviews from the likes of NME, who praised her “painfully honest tales of heartbreak draped in delicate melodies that carry much more intrigue than the usual run-of-the-mill singer-songwriter.” Executive-produced by Blake Slatkin — and also made with leading producers like Joel Little and benny blanco — the seven-song effort features her beloved singles “21,” “I miss you, I’m sorry,” and “Long Sleeves.” In 2021, Abrams returned with This Is What It Feels Like, a 12-track project exploring such complex emotions as self-betrayal, insecurity, and failed attempts at connection. Soon after completing her sold-out North American headline tour for This Is What It Feels Like, she set to work on her long-awaited debut album Good Riddance.
Click
HERE for hi res press photos
Gracie Abrams – “Good Riddance” – eAlbum and Physical CD
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