Singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams is back with her first album in two years and third overall. \u201cDaughter From Hell\u201d was released July 17, and the reviews are in. <\/p>\n
Her last album, \u201cThe Secret of Us,\u201d earned her a Grammy nod for the collaborative track titled \u201cus,\u201d made with mentor and friend Taylor Swift. She was also up for best new artist.<\/p>\n
Abrams has grown into her expanding spotlight alongside support and collaboration from some friends in the industry. Abrams opened for nearly 50 shows of Swift\u2019s \u201cThe Eras Tour,\u201d and Swift\u2019s longtime collaborator, Aaron Dessner, produced \u201cDaughter From Hell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abrams also took a page out of friend Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s book, working with Dan Nigro, Rodrigo\u2019s longtime creative partner with credits on both her studio albums, on a song. Abrams even gave her boyfriend, actor Paul Mescal, a writing credit on the track \u201cImaginary Friend.\u201d <\/p>\n
Abrams is known for emotional, self-aware songs and creating flow through intensely introspective observations. Critics are responding to her new album, \u201cDaughter From Hell,\u201d with different takeaways on how hard these emotions really hit. <\/p>\n
Read below to find out what critics think of \u201cDaughter From Hell.\u201d <\/p>\n
Pitchfork <\/p>\n
Pitchfork\u2019s review is a mixed bag, amounting to a 6.2 out of 10 points. In it, Molly Mary O\u2019Brien writes that<\/a> Abrams sticks to her signature style, but the \u201cfew risks she takes result in her best songs yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyrically, O\u2019Brien says the album is \u201cincredibly intense\u201d yet \u201cfrustratingly vague.\u201d For example, she describes \u201cImaginary Friend\u201d as being \u201cevocative without ever cohering.\u201d Of \u201cCold Goodbyes,\u201d she writes, \u201cthe cryptic communication style wears extra thin, as I cannot for the life of me tell who or what it is about.\u201d<\/p>\n Abrams could have \u201ca more adventurous path forward, but it will require (her) to venture even further away from home.\u201d <\/p>\n Harper\u2019s Bazaar<\/p>\n After listening to \u201cDaughter From Hell,\u201d weekend editor Sophie Wang<\/a> sees Gracie Abrams in a new light. <\/p>\n \u201cTogether, the 16 songs offer a glimpse into the inner mind of a young woman striving to shed the stubborn armor of adolescence and redirect her sharp tongue, all in hopes of becoming a version of her patient, graceful mother,\u201d Wang writes. <\/p>\n Wang sees each song illustrating a unique purpose and vital emotional milestone, from \u201csilent sobs\u201d to \u201cplayful hits\u201d to \u201cbreakdowns and identity crises.\u201d <\/p>\n The familiarity of \u201cDaughter From Hell\u201d is something positive in this review, as Abrams, in Wang\u2019s words, is \u201clearning how to find the comfort she once felt in childhood in little pockets of her new life.\u201d<\/p>\n The Times<\/p>\n For the UK publication, chief rock critic Will Hodgkinson<\/a> anoints Abrams the \u201creigning queen\u201d of proclaiming a \u201cparlous emotional state.\u201d <\/p>\n With \u201cDaughter From Hell,\u201d Hodgkinson questions what adolescent behavior Abrams is apologizing for. Abrams is the daughter of \u201cStar Wars\u201d director\/producer J.J Abrams and production executive Katie McGrath, and has been outspoken<\/a> about her famous lineage. <\/p>\n \u201cDaughter from Hell finds her apologizing for being a terrible teen over suitably rebellious distorted guitar but she doesn\u2019t actually list her crimes, which makes you wonder if they happened in the first place.\u201d <\/p>\n Rolling Stone<\/p>\n In a rave review amounting to four and a half stars, senior music writer Angie Martoccio<\/a> identifies the high stakes of Abrams\u2019 third album release. In \u201cDaughter From Hell,\u201d Abrams admits to the hardships the spotlight has brought her. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s her best album yet, 16 tracks that sparkle with angst, beauty, and all the baggage that comes with adulthood,\u201d Martoccio says. <\/p>\n Martoccio doesn\u2019t perceive \u201cDaughter From Hell\u201d as \u201csounding too similar\u201d or \u201cbleeding into\u201d other Abrams\u2019 works. <\/p>\n \u201cShe obliterates that notion in \u2018Daughter From Hell,\u2019 which she co-produced with Dessner, digging deep and experimenting more than ever before.\u201d <\/p>\n Associated Press <\/p>\n