by Shauna Sandhu April 27, 2022
I will admit, I am not a music expert, but that hasn’t stopped me from having a handful of artists and groups that I enjoy listening to a lot. One of them is 22-year-old Gracie Abrams, an indie-pop singer/songwriter.
Before I discuss her latest single, “Block me out”, I think a little background information would be helpful. Gracie Abrams debuted in 2019 with her single, “Mean it”. She has continued to release singles and EPs for the past 3 years. Abrams manages to convey intimate truths about being young through wistful yet dreamy music. Her music centers around her teenage years full of love, heartbreak, mental health, and other personal struggles.
I first began to take interest in Abrams after her second E.P., This is What it Feels Like was released on November 12, 2021. It brings me a sense of comfort when as a listener, I can relate to the emotions that the artist sings about. When I listen, I can’t help but be impressed by the nostalgic storytelling in her poetic songs.
Her most recent release on April 8, 2022, was “Block me out”. It’s a song remarked by Abrams as “i wrote this when i was very tangled up in my anxiety. long pond is healing.”. For context, she is referring to the Long Pond recording studio in upstate New York. It was co-written with Aaron Dessner who has written and produced with Abrams before as well as collaborated with other artists such as Taylor Swift, The National, Bon Iver, and Justin Vernon.
The song reflects on her confessions about encounters with the overwhelming struggle of anxious thoughts held inside. She writes lyrics such as, “I think I'm burnin' alive, but nobody sees the fire” and “I should be happier now, so why do I feel this quiet?”.
Personally, it resonates on another level because I’ve had similar experiences. All in all, I feel it’s an amazing song with authentic lyrics and soothing guitar music. It even brought praise from other artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Conan Gray, and BTS.
If you can’t tell by now, I love her music and she’s a great person as well. It’s one of the highlights of my day to see candid moments on her social media. I can’t wait for her to get more music released and hopefully a debut album, but for now, stream “Block me out”!