A Poptimist’s Top 10 Albums of 2023 — Part 2: Gracie Abrams & Laufey
For the beginning of this list (starting from 10th place), please check it out on Musical Mayhem!
8. Good Riddance (Deluxe) — Gracie Abrams
Released: February 24th, 2023 (Standard), June 16th, 2023 (Deluxe)
Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Indie-pop
Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams is the singer-songwriter’s official debut album. With multiple singles and a few EPs under her belt, she has built up a solid following of listeners who enjoy her vulnerable songwriting about heartache from love and life. The wait for her official debut album has paid off, as her gravely vocals plus improved songwriting skill and Aaron Dessner’s folk/indie rock collaborative hands all over pair together for a thorough project that showcases healing wounds that still feel a little raw to the touch.
Highlights: Amelie, Two people, Unsteady, Right now, Will you cry?, Full machine, Where do we go now?
This release takes the top spot for me this year as the unexpected grower. To be candid, I’ve had — and somewhat still have — mixed feelings about Gracie Abrams’ music. With that being said, I find this debut album as a solid improvement that highlights her strengths, but on first listen I believed it was just solid enough on its own, but not enough to be a favorite. Then I found myself craving and reaching for it over and over again.
Having always believed that Abrams’ has great potential in her artistry, I want to give some credit to co-writer and producer Aaron Dessner for bringing this sound out of her. It’s clear she waited so long to put out her debut album to give herself time to see what musically works for her, and anyone can agree that there is an unlocked magic with her and Dessner. The naturistic acoustic sound with crackly guitar licks and the indie rock-inspired drums with its patterns bring a necessary bit of edge to help wring out the emotions of the lyrics. It strikes a wonderful sonic ratio of comfort to hurt.
Her strongest tracks are ones where she fully focuses on exploring one moment and it makes Amelie probably the most intriguing song of the album. The broken desperation of trying to hold a phantom of a girl through a crumbling voice babbling over and over again, calling for ‘Amelie’ feels so raw, almost too invasive. The bare plucked guitar with sprinkles of piano lets the lyrics and vocals do all the emotional work beautifully.
The fateful (deluxe) closer Two People has a main piano line and vocal melody of the chorus that lulls back and forth in a way that reminds me of a last dance — the delicate lull of the last remnant of hope between two people, while ultimately knowing the connection will soon be laid to rest in its finality. Atmospheric pads raise the tension while guitar strings glimmer as the last sparkles of light.
I find Unsteady to be one of the most interesting compositions of the album and love how well it lives up to the song’s title. It’s a tale of someone suffering from anxiety and some self-sabotaging tendencies, and the verses mimic the uneasiness in the lyrics that describe panic with its melody and piano that teeters on the edge of some type of incoming calamity. The chorus has a bit more relieving stability, but in the tragic sense that it feels like an acceptance of disappointment in yourself for your ailment. The drums keep all parts of the song consistent with the anxious movement running throughout. I also like the decision of repeating the first verse after the bridge before the final chorus acting as a small fretful disruption.
The last song of the standard edition, Right Now, is a stream of consciousness song done right. The lyrics are simply a series of thoughts from a young adult grieving their old, familiar life as they grow away from their past to become their own person. The writing here is the star of the show and some of her best work so far; it’s not trying to be flowery or deep, it’s just real and full of things that do and don’t matter. She ultimately realizes the hardship in the growing pains are nothing to fight against because it all means she gets to be in the beautiful place she finds herself in right now.
Other tracks such as Will You Cry?” and Full Machine also have some of the best lyrics in terms of metaphors, while the lead single Where Do We Go Now? shares a light jogging momentum and use of repetition to overwhelm emotion like the former.
7. Bewitched — Laufey
Released: September 8th, 2023
Genre: Jazz-pop
Bewitched by Laufey is the jazz musician’s second studio album. The young Icelandic-Chinese artist has unexpectedly (yet luckily) garnered growing attention among a generation very far removed from the heydays of jazz. Her upbringing of being a classically trained musician with a deep love of jazz heavily influences her sound that blends contemporary pop writing and classical and jazzy compositions. Compared to her previous works, this most recent studio album presents a richer evolution of her sound and matured personal spells of love.
Highlights: Promise, From The Start, Dreamer, Second Best, While You Were Sleeping, Letter To My 13 Year Old Self, Bewitched.
My discovery of Laufey is definitely the most I’ve traveled outside of my comfort zone, but wow, I’ve got to say that diving into her entire discography this year was a huge treat. I have never dipped into any sort of jazz besides holiday classics — perhaps like a lot of others — but listening to her music sparked a deep love affair with jazz music inside me, very unexpectedly but very welcomed! After her discography, I began devouring jazz playlists and falling for classic jazz artists; so, a quick thank you to Laufey for providing that gateway that I’m sure many others have followed as well!
There is not a song on this sophomore album that is anything but at minimum gorgeous, however, some tracks have stuck with me more than others. Promise in my opinion is the most heart wrenching ballad of the album. The so-called promise the narrator makes to herself is to live in the distance from someone you so deeply love but can’t — well, shouldn’t, for your own good. Then, she disappointingly gives in at the slightest remembrance of them. The desolate song starts with simply a plain piano and traces of murmuring strings like a lone morning sunray streaming through the window; gentle raw percussion joins after the first verse to quietly build. However, the emotional and sonic climax somewhat abruptly impedes with a noticeable swell of oscillating strings. As she sings “Why can’t I let go of this?” under a softened moment of pitters of piano, it leads us to the spotlight of an instrumental break with the strings and piano waltzing together. The barren piano notes coming down and the reveal that she broke her promise is such a heartbreaking moment. The strings and drums come back as she recalls the impactful moment that made her give in before it concludes with a satisfying trickled line of piano keys.
Out of all the tracks on this album, the single From The Start leans heavily into the bossa-nova genre. From the first acoustic guitar plucks and light scattered drum rhythm, the catchy bossa-nova signature elements hook me in completely. The vocal melody with emphasis on almost oscillating legato all over this track is just so lovely and is so satisfying over the more rhythmic instrumental; the classy staccato piano key melody and a healthy amount of strings that relax into it only add to the loveliness. The vocal scat break in between the first chorus and the next verse is cute and acts as a very lovey-dovey daydream moment. Although the lyrics are undeniably about an unrequited love, the narrator still is up in the clouds of love, simply confessing her love and her hopes.
Some other favorites of mine include the album’s easygoing mid-tempo twinkling piano opener Dreamer featuring warm harmonies and amusing melodies, the disheartening Second Best with soft guitar picks and drums that make you stare in defeat at a sea of waves during blue hour, While You Were Sleeping with almost haunting echoes paired with sweet acoustic guitar strumming, the touching personal ode Letter To My 13 Year Old Self, and the theatrical Disney fairytale-like title track closer Bewitched.
Stay tuned for the rest of the list on Musical Mayhem!
