On her full-length debut,
Good Riddance
, pop singer
Gracie Abrams
focuses in and doubles down on the wispier ruminations of prior EPs, this time in full-on collaboration with
This Is What It Feels Like
contributor
Aaron Dessner
, who co-wrote and produced the entire album. Sounding and feeling a lot like a breakup album, a few of
's relationship songs were inspired by friendships and family in addition to a traditional breakup (from Grammy-winning producer
Blake Slatkin
). Musically,
Abrams
has cited tourmate
Taylor Swift
as a musical idol, and
Swift
is a well-known recipient of
Dessner
's behind-the-scenes assistance, beginning with
folklore
and
evermore
. More so than those records,
is consistently soft-spoken and brooding as it moves through tracks that both dish out and take blame, such as plaintive opener "Best" ("I never was the best to you") and "I Should Hate You" ("Pulled the knife from my back, it was right where you left it"). Working with
connected
with some of the cream of the crop in indie sidemen, including his
National
bandmates
Bryan Devendorf
Bryce Dessner
;
Rob Moose
(strings, piano, orchestrations),
Thomas Bartlett
(various keyboard instruments), and
Big Thief
's
James Krivchenia
(drums, percussion) are among others who contributed to the album. Award-winning producer
Matias Tellez
(
girl in red
,
AURORA
) assisted
on two tracks ("I Know It Won't Work" and the quietly dancy "Where Do We Go Now?"), while none other than
Brian Eno
co-produced spacy closer "Right Now."
marked
' first appearance on the Billboard 200, where it debuted at number 52. ~ Marcy Donelson