Like her inspiration, benefactor, and collaborator Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams has enmeshed herself within the Eaux Claires extended universe. Abrams, the hit-making folk-pop singer-songwriter, is multiple albums deep into a recording relationship with the National's Aaron Dessner, a big-deal indie producer who became a big-deal pop producer when Swift recruited him to produce her 2020 album Folklore. Dessner worked on Abrams' 2021 EP This Is What It Feels Like and was the main credited producer on both of her full-lengths, 2023's Good Riddance and 2024's The Secret Of Us.
Dessner has worked closely with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon for many years. He welcomed Vernon into the fold for those Taylor Swift albums during the pandemic. Before that, Dessner and Vernon co-founded the Eaux Claires music festival in Vernon's Wisconsin home turf, which is about to return next summer for the first time since 2018. Even earlier, they formed the band Big Red Machine for a song on the scene-defining 2009 compilation Dark Was The Night. Big Red Machine became more of a going concern a decade later, releasing a pair of fantastic albums in 2018 and 2021. The latter, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, featured Swift on two tracks.
Now there's a Gracie Abrams song that features both founding members of Big Red Machine. "Sold Out," a new track out today, is billed as a collaboration with Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner. Written after a school shooting last year, it's a benefit for the gun safety organization Everytown. As such, it's not available to stream, only to purchase.
The artists shared this statement:
We made this song last year in the wake of a school shooting. I was reminded of it this week as our hearts were broken yet again. It’s a sad one to share during the holidays, but the world is hurting and we shouldn’t look away. We are proud to support Everytown, an organization dedicated to ending gun violence in America. We are releasing this song to raise awareness of their mission of reducing gun violence. Please visit their website for more information on the unbelievable work they do. www.everytown.org
Sending so much love to you all.
- Gracie Abrams, Aaron Dessner, Justin Vernon
"Sold Out" is available for purchase at Bandcamp. Abrams recently expressed condolences for the victims of the Bondi Beach and Brown University shootings.
