I felt like she was trying a bit too hard to emulate other artists like another commenter said. I still like the record but it still feels like an early record rather a breakthrough one
i see the potential on her to be a great indie pop artists, she just needs to follow the more upbeat sound of tracks like close to you and risk, my problem with gracie is that her full bodies of work feel monotonous
I think she like a lot of artist conflate cohesion with quality when it’s something that happens and isn’t something you build a record around… if that makes sense.
The song writing on this record is definitely a upgrade but I can’t help but feel that Gracie is leaning to much into Lorde and swiftian writing but the most interesting thing about Swiftian writing is that Taylor pushes it and shapeshifts it into genres and actually takes in the criticism thrown at her to evolve it so everyone that’s working at evolving into a swiftian sound is trying to fit into an older model of the writing. I hope on the next project Gracie develops less into a swiftian writer and someone who has there own artistic voice ingrained into there work
I think she’s still figuring out exactly who she is artistically which is going to be an interesting journey. She’s certainly good at homaging like her dad was with Spielberg movies🫢
Album ranking 1. Us( Featuring Taylor Swift) (the best writing on this record from Gracie and Taylor is used very well) 2. CLOSE TO YOU (it feels like Gracie and not like her trying to write into swiftian writing) 3. Risk (album context makes this better I promise) 4. Let it happen (Vocal moment I’ve been waiting for) 5. I love you I’m sorry (good music is good music) 6. Gave you I gave you I (Guilty pleasure music) 7. Free now (good closers always get ranked higher by me, argue with the wall) 8. Blowing smoke ( no notes) 9. Felt good about you (great gown beautiful gown) 10. Though love (entering the skip category) 11. I knew it, I know you ( interesting title, doesn’t lead anywhere really though) 12. Good luck Charlie (it’s not worth being on the record) 13. Normal thing (I already forgot this one existed)
Completely unrelated, but kinda related, you can feel that mid 2020s have fully started as many new names have popped up on charts (or at least reached major notoriety): Gracie, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappelle Roan, Shaboozey, just to name a few.
5:21 i think this is a direction that Taylor should do for her next record's lyrics. A balance of vagueness and personal details would probably make the VERY vocal abd rowdy fans focus on the art itself rather than who they might be about.
I agree, Swift leaned a little too hard (likely on purpose tho) for TTPD and it alienated some of the base and also emboldened another parasocial group to go ham on speculation
@@EljohnMacaranas i agree, i think she did it on purpose in the 1st half. The first half was good imo but the second half was much better, and better written, but I’m probably biased as folklore and evermore are my favs by far.
The Secret Of Us was pretty good, but I’m still waiting for a truly great album. The record kinda lost the energy towards the end of the tracklist (still enjoyable, thoughtful, and interesting) which was a bit of a surprise considering how Gracie discussed how the album was more extroverted. I’m awaiting Gracie’s 1989 moment though. Close To You and a few other tracks really teased how going full pop would be so cool.
The production of TSOS is so concise, just like TTPD:TA At first listen you'll be confused and start to conflate the different songs because the guitar is used so often!
Unexpectedly, this album made me realize just how much I actually care about how an artist presents their work. I don’t like the front or back cover of the album and all of the mouth visuals on Spotify make me incredibly uncomfortable. I enjoyed your thought process on this album, even though I fully recognize that her work is not for me.
I really like this album. Its the only album ive been able to replay apart from ttpd and espresso plus birds of a feather. Best song is I love you, im sorry and free now
i do like this album and there are some songs on there which reach my favorite gracie songs list but i thought This Is What It Feels Like was way better. I also relaly loved good Riddance but my gracie album ranking goes 1. This Is What It Feels Like 2. Good Riddance 3. The Secret Of Us
Find her lyrics too diaristic sometimes and she definitely needs to get better at singing live but both those things are easy to fix. Feel like over the last year I've really grown to like her music especially this album and even the album cover is endearing to me now. Genuinely can see her being like a big thing in the future.
Honestly, Good Riddance was s9 monotonous it turned my brain into a must! When i found out GA and AD were doing an album together, I expected SO MUCH from that album and then it was the OPPOSITE.
For me personally gracie has been a hit or miss artist. My personal favs by her i miss you I'm sorry,mess it up ,for real this time ,feels like. however i do feel that her music does at time gets pretty one note and when i listen her album front to back it becomes somewhat monotonous and i love Aaron's production for folkmore but somehow even his sound adds to making her music sound one note. I do think secret of us is a lot better than her previous work as it is a bit more dynamic..for me some highlights were risk,us,let it happen and i knew it,i know you. I do wish she'd explore other genre rather than pigeon holing herself into the folky sound/sad acoustic. Her writing is really good and don't hate me this..i want to do some vocal lessons because so many times in this album whenever she tried to hit a higher note,her voice cracked and sounded a bit whiny.This album is promising and i hope she works w other producers in future to explore new sounds for her.
I think she wants to like gain an air of artistic legitimacy or whatever as a singer songwriter before becoming more poppy. Which is fair and what she wants to do but is somewhat of a disservice to her potential
Even tho I'm a Swiftie... Gracie is the only artist I realte to It's hard to find songs about being the "villain" or "red flag" in a relationship, Gracie however is THAT artist for me. Risk, Mess It Up, I Miss You I'm Sorry, Rockland... I cry when I play my fave songs of her And I lost it when I saw a Taylor Feature 😭 That was the best thing as a fan of both
This was my first Gracie record, and I js didn’t enjoy it much, I wanted to love it, I loved the singles, but the only new songs I liked, Free Now, and Tough Love, the rest was kinda boring. Like I hate to be mean, but I js didn’t have much fun w this record.
I think that's fair. I will be honest when I say it took me awhile to finish Good Riddance bc I kept nodding off, this one I was able to do in one shot
Personally can’t help but think her music is just, boring. Like just very generic pop, respectfully a worse phoebe bridgers. She does not experiment at all and yeah. Just my opinion it trying to offend anyone
I love Gracie‘s eps/albums/singles, but I can‘t really connect With this album. For me it‘s too happy but at the same time sad lyrics. It‘s something new but reminds me too much of Taylor Swift (I‘m not a Taylor Swift-Fan). I still like this album but it‘s my least fav project by her. Best songs: I love you I‘m Sorry, Risk + Tough Love 💛
I am the biggest Taylor stan but I just can’t get into Gracie no matter how much taylor tries to push her. She just seems so inauthentic in her rise to fame (even getting signed to Interscope with no music out…) and IMO isn’t talented enough yet for me to ignore the nepotism
Bland and Unseasoned are their brand (these 2 ladies) and they stay on brand this year. And the swifties are just so used to tastelessness to realize that 🚮
You know whats also tasteless? Thinking that you’re above people because you don’t enjoy the same kind of music. What happened to having fun and enjoying things for what they are.
I felt like she was trying a bit too hard to emulate other artists like another commenter said. I still like the record but it still feels like an early record rather a breakthrough one
She’s definitely found the edges of her sound like the acoustic sharp upbeat sound mixed with some electronic elements would give her more shape
i see the potential on her to be a great indie pop artists, she just needs to follow the more upbeat sound of tracks like close to you and risk, my problem with gracie is that her full bodies of work feel monotonous
I think she like a lot of artist conflate cohesion with quality when it’s something that happens and isn’t something you build a record around… if that makes sense.
The song writing on this record is definitely a upgrade but I can’t help but feel that Gracie is leaning to much into Lorde and swiftian writing but the most interesting thing about Swiftian writing is that Taylor pushes it and shapeshifts it into genres and actually takes in the criticism thrown at her to evolve it so everyone that’s working at evolving into a swiftian sound is trying to fit into an older model of the writing. I hope on the next project Gracie develops less into a swiftian writer and someone who has there own artistic voice ingrained into there work
I think she’s still figuring out exactly who she is artistically which is going to be an interesting journey. She’s certainly good at homaging like her dad was with Spielberg movies🫢
Swiftian?
@@gracielaayala2226 it’s the name the critics gave the of the writing style of Taylor Swift
@@CatNagTaylorsVersion ohhh 😮
Album ranking
1. Us( Featuring Taylor Swift) (the best writing on this record from Gracie and Taylor is used very well)
2. CLOSE TO YOU (it feels like Gracie and not like her trying to write into swiftian writing)
3. Risk (album context makes this better I promise)
4. Let it happen (Vocal moment I’ve been waiting for)
5. I love you I’m sorry (good music is good music)
6. Gave you I gave you I (Guilty pleasure music)
7. Free now (good closers always get ranked higher by me, argue with the wall)
8. Blowing smoke ( no notes)
9. Felt good about you (great gown beautiful gown)
10. Though love (entering the skip category)
11. I knew it, I know you ( interesting title, doesn’t lead anywhere really though)
12. Good luck Charlie (it’s not worth being on the record)
13. Normal thing (I already forgot this one existed)
Close to You is so good. Like I don't care if Gracie die hards call me basic, it's really good songwriting.
@@EljohnMacaranas it’s the only songwriting outside of us that doesn’t feel like she’s actively trying to knock off Lorde, Taylor, Lana, and Olivia
I’ll have to check it out. I listened to “the loneliest time” after your review and still blast that record to this day.
The Loneliest Time is so good!.
the bridges on this album went hard imo
She learned from the best
Oh clock!
@@paarthm9681 EXACTLY
Completely unrelated, but kinda related, you can feel that mid 2020s have fully started as many new names have popped up on charts (or at least reached major notoriety): Gracie, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappelle Roan, Shaboozey, just to name a few.
Oh for sure, the actual like competition has begun now. These Grammys are gonna be a mess.
i ride for you Elijohn Macaranas (sorry i just had to say it).
😭😭😭 tysm
Y'all should work it out on the remix 🤭
5:21 i think this is a direction that Taylor should do for her next record's lyrics.
A balance of vagueness and personal details would probably make the VERY vocal abd rowdy fans focus on the art itself rather than who they might be about.
I agree, Swift leaned a little too hard (likely on purpose tho) for TTPD and it alienated some of the base and also emboldened another parasocial group to go ham on speculation
@@EljohnMacaranas i agree, i think she did it on purpose in the 1st half. The first half was good imo but the second half was much better, and better written, but I’m probably biased as folklore and evermore are my favs by far.
@@r_u_s_t_y__h_o_r_s_e_s-hg4fetrue! The majority of TTPD:Anthology songs seem to be meticulously created.
The Secret Of Us was pretty good, but I’m still waiting for a truly great album. The record kinda lost the energy towards the end of the tracklist (still enjoyable, thoughtful, and interesting) which was a bit of a surprise considering how Gracie discussed how the album was more extroverted. I’m awaiting Gracie’s 1989 moment though. Close To You and a few other tracks really teased how going full pop would be so cool.
Full pop Gracie would be excellent, she has this cool sorta alt sound to her voice that’s not necessarily Lorde but in the same wheelhouse
gracie needs to fire whoever makes her album covers 😭
Those lyric videos looking like that... definitely sorta makes it hard to get casuals to click
yea most of the promotional material seems odd and I guess unflattering?? maybe theres a better word but I just don’t see her vision
THIS. as someone who isn’t that big of a Gracie fan, I was actually reluctant to listen to it because of the album cover 😭
The production of TSOS is so concise, just like TTPD:TA
At first listen you'll be confused and start to conflate the different songs because the guitar is used so often!
I think the guitar becomes the heart of the record
I listened to this album and it was nice but can’t stream anything but Brat right now. Obsessed 🤩
💯 agreed as soon as I ended this back to Brat!
She sounds like Lorde and writings like Taylor Swift.
Close to You sounds so Melodrama
Unexpectedly, this album made me realize just how much I actually care about how an artist presents their work. I don’t like the front or back cover of the album and all of the mouth visuals on Spotify make me incredibly uncomfortable. I enjoyed your thought process on this album, even though I fully recognize that her work is not for me.
Yeah the presentation does it a great disservice on top of the nepo baby allegations
Why did I see the picture of Charlie and Gracie together before this video dropped
Omg 😭
I really like this album. Its the only album ive been able to replay apart from ttpd and espresso plus birds of a feather.
Best song is I love you, im sorry and free now
Birds of a Feather has been my obsession I think it’s my most played song this year!
idk if you’re gonna see this but i just realized ive been keeping up with you for about two years. very glad your hiatuses were never permanent lmao
THANK YOU SO MUCH. Honestly, my hiatuses have never been more than like a month or so but in TH-cam time that's like an eternity I think lol
Omg i love her and US Is stuck in my mind
US is really good 😭
Interested to see how she progresses
I think she has potential
i do like this album and there are some songs on there which reach my favorite gracie songs list but i thought This Is What It Feels Like was way better. I also relaly loved good Riddance but my gracie album ranking goes 1. This Is What It Feels Like 2. Good Riddance 3. The Secret Of Us
Respectable opinion considering the way this leaned way more pop
Find her lyrics too diaristic sometimes and she definitely needs to get better at singing live but both those things are easy to fix. Feel like over the last year I've really grown to like her music especially this album and even the album cover is endearing to me now. Genuinely can see her being like a big thing in the future.
I feel like she’s almost at that point. A few adjustments here and there!
Honestly, Good Riddance was s9 monotonous it turned my brain into a must! When i found out GA and AD were doing an album together, I expected SO MUCH from that album and then it was the OPPOSITE.
GR felt like she read a bunch of reviews that said “cohesive = good” not realizing it can end up being boring. TSoU is cute!
@EljohnMacaranas TSOU is actually pretty good! Some the bridges are just so good! She's definitely learnt a thing or two from her musical mother.
For me personally gracie has been a hit or miss artist. My personal favs by her i miss you I'm sorry,mess it up ,for real this time ,feels like. however i do feel that her music does at time gets pretty one note and when i listen her album front to back it becomes somewhat monotonous and i love Aaron's production for folkmore but somehow even his sound adds to making her music sound one note. I do think secret of us is a lot better than her previous work as it is a bit more dynamic..for me some highlights were risk,us,let it happen and i knew it,i know you. I do wish she'd explore other genre rather than pigeon holing herself into the folky sound/sad acoustic. Her writing is really good and don't hate me this..i want to do some vocal lessons because so many times in this album whenever she tried to hit a higher note,her voice cracked and sounded a bit whiny.This album is promising and i hope she works w other producers in future to explore new sounds for her.
I think she wants to like gain an air of artistic legitimacy or whatever as a singer songwriter before becoming more poppy. Which is fair and what she wants to do but is somewhat of a disservice to her potential
soooooo not related but i’d looooove to hear your thoughts on dopamine.
Solid debut but fuck her management
Even tho I'm a Swiftie... Gracie is the only artist I realte to
It's hard to find songs about being the "villain" or "red flag" in a relationship, Gracie however is THAT artist for me. Risk, Mess It Up, I Miss You I'm Sorry, Rockland... I cry when I play my fave songs of her
And I lost it when I saw a Taylor Feature 😭 That was the best thing as a fan of both
That’s actually a really cool observation that she’s unafraid of being the villain in her love songs (often times bc of her reluctance)
This was my first Gracie record, and I js didn’t enjoy it much, I wanted to love it, I loved the singles, but the only new songs I liked, Free Now, and Tough Love, the rest was kinda boring. Like I hate to be mean, but I js didn’t have much fun w this record.
I think that's fair. I will be honest when I say it took me awhile to finish Good Riddance bc I kept nodding off, this one I was able to do in one shot
Personally can’t help but think her music is just, boring. Like just very generic pop, respectfully a worse phoebe bridgers. She does not experiment at all and yeah. Just my opinion it trying to offend anyone
That’s fair
This is old news and I thought you had a video about it but can you review “rollin up the welcome mat” Kelsea ballerini. We love you ❤❤
never been this early omg
Hahaha thanks for being here! 💙
This album hits the way her other album didnt! The production is excellent and her songwriting shines thru
Much stronger than the first one
@@EljohnMacaranas i wrote this before i got halfway into the vid so im stoked we have the same opinion ❤️
I’ve listened to her album twice b2b. Shes just boring for me as an artist. 😅 rooting for her though! 🎉
I feel like she’s got potential but the whole like sad girl thing is getting played out
I love Gracie‘s eps/albums/singles, but I can‘t really connect With this album. For me it‘s too happy but at the same time sad lyrics. It‘s something new but reminds me too much of Taylor Swift (I‘m not a Taylor Swift-Fan). I still like this album but it‘s my least fav project by her. Best songs: I love you I‘m Sorry, Risk + Tough Love 💛
I think leaning too much into Taylor’s wheelhouse makes you rather want to listen to the OG
I am the biggest Taylor stan but I just can’t get into Gracie no matter how much taylor tries to push her. She just seems so inauthentic in her rise to fame (even getting signed to Interscope with no music out…) and IMO isn’t talented enough yet for me to ignore the nepotism
This was the first record to make me go “okay maybe she has a hit in her” I def did not pay much attention bc of the clear nepo babyism
her music is so devoid of personality or anything worthwhile, its so unoriginal
I think she could make really good Forever 21 anonpop
Eljohn, I love you, but please replace 9/10ths of that mouth footage… it grosses me out to watch. 😂 Please and thank you!
Lmaoooo I work with whatever footage the artist drops sadly she picked those visuals 😭😭😭
@@EljohnMacaranas I get it…but man that should come with a trigger warning ⚠️😆
Bland and Unseasoned are their brand (these 2 ladies) and they stay on brand this year. And the swifties are just so used to tastelessness to realize that 🚮
🤷🏻♂️
You know whats also tasteless? Thinking that you’re above people because you don’t enjoy the same kind of music. What happened to having fun and enjoying things for what they are.
Nepo baby without any meaningful voice. Why care