“The Secret of Us,” Gracie Abrams’ sophomore album, was originally released on June 21. The album details a hard-hitting breakup and includes popular songs like “Close to You,” “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and “Risk.” This work properly established Abrams as a powerful vocalist and heartbreakingly poignant lyricist.

On Oct. 18, Abrams released the deluxe version of the album with four new songs and three live versions. The songs add emotional intensity to an already strong work.

The first of the new songs is “Cool.” The track adds an angry twist to the mostly sad album and details the aftermath of being love-bombed. Abrams’ exasperated tone and building backtrack create a strong new addition to the album, adding shade to ex Dylan O’Brien through direct references to his alleged former relationships with Sadie Sink and Sarah Ramos.

“That’s So True” is reminiscent of “deja vu” by Olivia Rodrigo and calls attention to her ex repeating old patterns and old activities the pair used to experience together with his new girlfriend. It’s a mix of anger and reflection over whether the experiences meant anything at all and whether her feelings are justified. The song does a good job of calling out her ex-boyfriend’s behavior without directing hate toward his new girlfriend, instead framing her as someone who is unfortunately caught up in a bad situation.

Following that is “I Told You Things.” This song is not as catchy of an addition to the album and is much more breathy. Despite this, the lyrics are well-written and do an excellent job of portraying the pain of building deep emotional intimacy with a person, which ultimately ends in betrayal and heartbreak. Had the backing track been stronger, the song would have been one of the best on the album.

The last of the new songs, “Packing It Up,” ends the additions on a positive note, with a cute song about new love which finds her when she isn’t looking for anything at all and in fact, is close to giving up on love altogether. The positive note leaves listeners going through a similar rough breakup with the promise of new love and uncomplicated mutual affection.

“I Love You I’m Sorry (Live From Vevo)” offers a stunning new twist on the best song of the album. Abrams’ vocals shine through the belting note changes, particularly on the ending chorus of “The way life goes / Joyriding down our road / Lay on the horn to prove that it haunts me / I love you I’m sorry.” It is clear through the addition of this track that Abrams has learned her vocal strengths and how to draw upon them to create a heart-wrenching melody.

“I Knew It, I Know You (Live from Vevo)” does not compare to the other live remake tracks on the album, but still does a good job of showcasing Abrams’ less processed vocals.

“Free Now (Live From Vevo)” is a fitting conclusion to the album, with the second half of the song featuring a power bass line and overwhelming vocals which do justice to the incredibly well-written lyrics, which detail the feeling of feeling free after finally letting go of a toxic connection.

Overall, the extra tracks add lyrical and vocal talent and are a welcome addition to an already well-produced album.

Final Rating: 4/5