★★★★☆

Since 2019, Gracie Abrams has evolved from whispered confessional ballads to more expansive, ambitious pop. During the pandemic, her intimate bedroom pop found a new audience, and her rising reputation culminated in her UK number 1 sophomore album, ‘The Secret of Us’. ‘Daughter From Hell’ is a record that will begin to define who Abrams is as an artist.

This is an album with a provocative title that suggests a darker sound, yet ‘Daughter From Hell’ proves surprisingly familiar. Reuniting with long-time collaborator Aaron Dessner keeps the changes subtle, with the real development coming from how his arrangements let Abrams’ writing breathe. Across sixteen tracks, Abrams builds on themes of youthful heartbreak, sharp reflections on identity, fame, self-sabotage and the complexities of adulthood. She's showing listeners refinement over reinvention, but the question is whether that is enough to make ‘Daughter From Hell’ an album that defines the artist that Abrams is becoming.

From the outset, the record uses recurring imagery to highlight the emotions Abrams is exploring. Knives are a motif, not as a weapon but as a metaphor for pain and wounds. On the album opener, ‘Hit the Wall’, she sings, “I’m numb ‘til I am aching for the sharp pain / Watch my blade ricochet” and the knife then reappears on ‘Death Wish’. But it’s ‘The Knife’ which openly uses the metaphor: “I’m living with a knife in my side /… and they are daring me to pull it out / I’ll probably keep it for a lifetime.” The opening trio sets the tone for an album shaped by emotional exhaustion, obsession and self-blame, while also showing Abrams’ willingness to examine her own guilt and moral ambiguity.

Emotional crisis forms the core of the album, but it also explores heartbreak and romantic regret. ‘Men Like You’, ‘Broke My Heart’, ‘Mews’ and ‘Good Reason’ bring a poppier vibe, even if they don’t match the synth-driven energy of ‘That’s So True’ and ‘Risk’. ‘Broke My Heart’ is especially cathartic, while ‘Good Reason’ stands out for Dessner’s arrangement and Abrams’ strong vocal performance. ‘Mews’ provides a breathy, smoky contrast.

‘Daughter from Hell’ also explores new territory for Abrams. Second single ‘Look at My Life’ is a sharp observation of celebrity life: “How long have I got in the hot light 'til the shine rusts?", she sings on the album's closest thing to a pop banger. With a driving synth beat complementing Abrams' trademark vocals, it builds to a crescendo. ‘Minibar’ is a short, punchy piece of pop-fluff, co-written with childhood friend Audrey Hobert.

The album brings other collaborations. ‘Imaginary Friend’, co-written with boyfriend Paul Mescal, is a chirpy acoustic-guitar campfire ditty that fondly recalls the ghost of someone from her past. ‘What If It’s Right?’ features Marcus Mumford on a track that has a haunting, strummed melody of two lovers questioning the direction of their relationship; Mumford’s deep tones blend perfectly with Abrams' whispered delivery: “This could be the wrong thing / But what if it’s right?”. 

A standout collaboration is with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, on one of the album’s most significant songs, ‘Humming’.  The track returns to the theme of home and identity as she references the fires that destroyed the Pacific Palisades area where she grew up but, more widely, about living through a time of overlapping crises and political disillusionment: “and there’s no-one at the top to believe.” A dreamy mid-tempo acoustic strum allows Abrams’ vocals to express the pain she is feeling as she sings “Let me wake from this horrible dream… What a way to feel in your twenties.” This is a new lyrical territory and reminder that musical evolution is about the power of the words.

The biggest musical departure on Abrams’ third album is on the title track 'Daughter from Hell' with its distorted electric guitar and sombre mood.  The track is an apology to her parents for her rebellious teen years, as she sings about how much she owes them and ends with “I’ll try to become you now.” It’s a standout track for its heavier sound and also for how well Abrams’ more powerful vocals suit the style.

A real power of the album is the poetry of the writing. The songs are structured around storytelling using vivid scene-setting and cleverly constructed metaphors. Abrams tells stories that draw the listener in and reward repeated listening. 

For a record referencing hell, the production takes more of a step into the indie-folk landscape. Abrams delivers these songs in her usual hushed vocal style, accompanied by sparse acoustic guitars, gentle strings and understated percussion. The hell explored here isn’t a tangible place of rage but an internalised place of pain and wounds as the emotional cost of guilt, introspection and the challenges of the world we live in.

Familiarity has become a defining strength of her identity and ‘Daughter from Hell’ helps to define her in the evergrowing industry.  Abrams has evolved into a songwriter capable of painting poetic, emotionally complex tracks, and the production has provided the right canvas and background hues. ‘Daughter from Hell’ proves that quiet evolution can be as powerful as radical reinvention.

Andrew Butcher

@framingtheechoes / @arrondor

Image: ‘Daughter from Hell’ Official Album Cover