By Larisha Paul
According to the Taylor Swift heartbreak survival guide, 10 months is the safest bet to make when considering how long it might take to crawl out of the ruins of a past relationship. She delivered this lesson on the 1989 deep cut “Clean,” which she performed one night on the Eras tour at the request of her support act Gracie Abrams. Now, the two musicians are comparing notes on “Us,” their collaboration from Abrams’ latest studio album The Secret of Us.
Abrams leads the record, laying out pieces of the past for proper examination. “And if history’s clear, someone always ends up in ruins/And what seemed like fate becomes ‘What the hell was I doing?’/Babylon lovers hangin’ lifetimes on a vine/Do you miss mine?” she asks on the first pre-chorus.
When the second comes around, she trades off with Swift, who sings, “And if history’s clear, the flames always end up in ashes/And what seemed like fate, give it ten months and you’ll be past it/Babylon lovers hangin’ missed calls on the line/I gave you mine.”
Swift and Abrams wrote “Us” together with producer and frequent collaborator Aaron Dessner, who helmed production on the record alongside Jack Antonoff.
“All I can tell you for now is that some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my whole entire life was writing this song together. Hands down,” Abrams shared on X (formerly Twitter) when the feature was first revealed on her tracklist for the album. “I am currently smiling and sweating thinking about it and I’ll never get over the shock of seeing this one on the tracklist. You know how I feel.”
Last year, Abrams joined Swift for a stretch of shows on the Eras tour. During the second night in Cincinnati, Swift welcomed Abrams and Dessner to the stage for a special performance of “I Miss You, I’m Sorry,” one of the younger musician’s breakout singles from her debut EP Minor, released in 2020.
Last year, when she was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, Abrams spoke to Rolling Stone about the most significant milestone moments of the year that she’s the most proud of. The first that came to mind for her was joining Swift on the road, specifically the insight she gained “from watching Taylor’s show as many times as I have and just kind of being in close proximity to her, learning from her as a musician and as a friend and as a business person.”
She added: “I feel like I’m constantly able to take notes and watch her impact on her fans, and she’s been so generous with me in sharing her audience with me. I think there’s been this undeniable energetic charge since then that has broadened my imagination so significantly, honestly.”
The Secret of Us marks Abrams’ second full-length studio album, following the release of last year’s Good Riddance.
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