Gracie Abrams has always been iconic, from her first album, “minor,” to the most recent, “The Secret of Us,” which earned her the iHeart Music Breakthrough Artist of the Year award and solidified her as a household name. She has many hit songs, from her classic “Feels Like” to the viral “That’s So True.” Despite the recent release of “The Secret of Us” and her ongoing tour for the album, Abrams has continued to pump out music for her fans, even playing some as surprise songs at her concerts.
The most recent unreleased song played on Abrams’ tour was “Death Wish.” Played for the first time on March 6 in London, the solemn ballad debuted raw, with only Abrams’ voice and live piano accompaniment. The song features somber, heartbreaking lyrics such as the impactful, “But how will it end? How long will you give me?/ ’Til you twist the knife with a smile while you kill me?”
Abrams is known for her hard-hitting verses, but this chorus might be her most poetic and tragically beautiful. But this begs the question: when will this masterpiece be released? While Abrams posted a teaser of her recording the song, she has yet to share details of when it will be released.
The week prior, Abrams played another unreleased song for the first time on Feb. 25 in Milan. “Cold Goodbyes,” which Abrams said was written a few months before its debut and was performed in the same manner as “Death Wish,” with just Abrams and her piano. This song holds very specific and personal lyrics about being an artist, with the second verse highlighting the tumultuous feelings behind performing with lines such as “Look at all these people, do I have to play tonight?” and “In the hay I am the needle, there’s a hundred blinking eyes.” It is so impactful when an artist can connect with an audience through words. However, it is arguably more impactful and important when an artist can show their humanity through the often impenetrable veil of fame. During this debut, Abrams shared that she doesn’t know what will happen with this song, leaving fans to continue waiting and hoping for the time being.
The only other currently unreleased song that Abrams has played on “The Secret of Us” tour is the one that fans have been waiting for the longest. “In Between,” written four years before the release of her debut single, was played for the first time on Abrams’ “Good Riddance” tour in 2023. Abrams also played the song on the tour in 2024, where she explained the meaning behind the lyrics and confessed that her mom had requested she release it. The song features an upbeat tune with cute lyrics about her friend falling in love, such as “She toes the line between ’em, he says he’s new at this / There’s holy ground beneath them, and sparks fly when they kiss.” These lyrics also give a nod to Taylor Swift, who is said to be a big fan; Abrams mentions two of Swift’s song titles, “Holy Ground” and “Sparks Fly.” The inclusion of this homage is also special for many listeners as the Swift and Abrams’ fanbases often overlap. Her performance of this song was in Texas on Sep. 19 for “The Secret of Us” tour, and it was rumored the track would be included on the deluxe edition of the album with other previously unreleased songs, such as the aforementioned hit “That’s So True.” As fans have been requesting “In Between” for a long time, it is the hope of many that the continuation of her playing the song means it will, at some point, be officially released.
With every unreleased song, the struggle for fans is figuring out how to listen to the tracks while they wait for the official versions to be on streaming platforms. The age of technology has helped with this problem, as fans who attend the shows where the songs are played can record and upload for those who weren’t able to be there in person. This can be done in the form of an upload on SoundCloud, a YouTube video or even as a podcast recording on Spotify. While it isn’t entirely clear why some songs remain unreleased, hopefully fans won’t have to continue to fall back on these unofficial versions. However, it is evident that Abrams has always been extremely talented, and she’s got plenty more bangers in store for her fans in the future.
