Acclaimed songwriter Gracie Abrams has returned with a raw and radiant new single “Difficult.” Produced by her frequent collaborator Aaron Dessner of The National, “Difficult” inhabits a more expansive and high-energy sound while pushing deeper into Abrams’s unflinching introspection.
Co-written by Abrams and Dessner, “Difficult” opens on a softly stunning line that perfectly encapsulates the poetic realism at the heart of Abrams’s songwriting (“My double vision is only amplifying everything he isn’t”). With its moody collision of crystalline textures, drum-machine beats, and delicate piano tones, the track builds to a brightly soaring chorus as Abrams sheds light on the claustrophobia that comes with being unable to escape your own thoughts and possibly destructive patterns (e.g., “I’ve been drinking and staying up too late, reliving bad decisions”).
Centered on her quietly commanding vocal work, “Difficult” ultimately reveals Abrams’s rare capacity to weave a whirlwind of emotions into sing-along-ready lyrics and unpredictable yet immediately catchy melodies.
“Difficult” arrives as the follow-up to Abrams’s captivating and confessional single “Block me out”–an April release. Co-written by Abrams and Dessner and recorded at the famed Long Pond Studio in New York, “Block me out” opens on a series of confessions that immediately prove the subtle power of her storytelling (“I’ll say whatever you want but I’ve become such a liar/ I used to follow my gut but now I’m just getting higher”).
As the guitar-driven and gauzy track unfolds, Abrams’s vocals take on a dazzling intensity, sometimes spiking her outpouring with moments of self-aware humor (“I thought of leaving tonight but I couldn’t drive this tired/ Plus after all of this time I should be a pretty crier”). An intimate portrait of emotional desolation, “Block me out” ultimately expands on the strangely captivating self-reflection the songwriter first revealed on her 2019 breakthrough single “Mean It.”
Now at work on her debut album for Interscope Records, Abrams also recently took the stage at major summer festivals like Lollapalooza in addition to completing a 14-date run as support for Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Tour.