6 songs from Gracie Abrams’ ‘Daughter From Hell’ that will turn you into a fan

On the very first inspection of Gracie Abrams' latest album, Daughter From Hell, it might seem a little boring. Despite the tracklist stretching to 16 songs, only a handful of them could be considered upbeat. It's a slow, more thoughtful path that's charted across these songs.

If you need songs for your workout playlist, then "Look at My Life" or "Minibar" might suffice. But otherwise, these songs are better suited for a car ride, dinner party, or winding down in the late evening.

The key to the Daughter From Hell album can mostly be gleaned from the title track. The song's loving appreciation for a parent's sacrificial love is completely endearing. It also shows a maturity and growth that is present throughout other songs.

While the lyrics are one side of the coin, the other is the mature and complex melodies that the best songs float on. There's a delicacy and subtlety that can be hard to appreciate during the first listen. But it's that level of work that ends up paying off in the end, and making these songs impossible to forget once they're burrowed into your brain.

If you haven't listened to Daughter From Hell yet, or are struggling to connect with it, then here are six songs to start with that have melodies that should turn you into a fan. The album is streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.

"Minibar"

Most of the songs on this list dig deep on the chorus to offer the most memorable melodies. However, the playful, bouncy verses of "Minibar" slightly outshine a fun '90s-style bridge. For that reason, once this song starts, it's almost impossible to stop without letting it fully play out. For good measure, there are several clever, witty lines for fans to grab onto.

"Broke My Heart"

Of course, "Broke My Heart" isn't a carefree summer song. The line, "I'm going to carry the pain my whole life," is about as heavy as it gets. But the track does have a lightweight rhythm that's easy to sway to. It's the mention of "bonfire" that, for me, instantly conjures up a night at the beach.

"Men Like You"

This track is both confronting and vulnerable. It's a fine line that I think is perfectly executed with lines like, "You think you're being cute / It only leaves me hollow." Of course, the increased chorus tempo and steady beat that's easy to tap your foot along with keep it moving at a rapid pace.

"Daughter From Hell"

The title track is easily the most interesting of all 16 tracks. You can debate whether it's the best song of the bunch, but it's certainly one of the most different for Abrams. The crunchy electric guitar makes the song sound huge and epic, even without much percussion accompaniment.

As a parent, it's hard not to hear, "I want your patience / I want your grace / I want your sugar / and I want to say / How much I owe ya / I've loved your shoulder." It's endlessly endearing.

"Mews"

"Mews" is one of the best songs on the album. The chorus melodies seem to float on air. They are ethereal, which is why I think this song is so addictive and hard to nail down. Each instance of the chorus' melody also hangs on a different word: "out," "now," "how," and "around." It's just another layer of a complex song to appreciate.

The melody morsels come quick and disappear like a mist. That's one reason you'll need to keep playing this song, just to try to savor the bit-sized sounds.

"What If It's Right?"

Marcus Mumford and Abrams collaborated on Mumford & Sons' song "Badlands," and now "What If It's Right?" feels like the follow-up to that track. The songs each have different, distinct styles, but strong melodies that each have are able to pull you in and make you want to go back and start them again after they finish.

In the case of "What If It's Right?," the rhythmic guitar picking serves as the railroad track that each chorus uses to gain steam until you can't help but try to sing along by the third time through.