Underrated: ABRA
PRINCESS (EP), 2016
We kick off our Underrated series with the queen of “witch house,” ABRA!
If you asked me to write an ABRA song from scratch, it might sound like a deceptively simple task. Most of her songs utilize few components: a drum machine, a sub bass, an arpeggiated synth, and sometimes a lo-fi piano. Often, her voice is the only true melodic information in a song, constructing her sparse, haunting sound.
ABRA’s voice itself feels anachronistic. It’s emotive, bright, and youthful, classic in a way that recalls Diana Ross or ’60s girl groups like the Marvelettes, yet she uses it in unexpected, daring ways. Against quantized, programmed drums, thvocal imperfections feel human and intentional. You can hear her love for drum and synth programming, but nothing about the music feels nostalgic for nostalgia’s sake. It’s all filtered through a distinctly modern, DIY lens.
Her lyrics are often simple, yet memorable. Her signature song “PULL UP” opens with, “Tell me you like me, you was in trouble the moment you said it,” provoking a sense of danger right from the very top. On “Fruit,” she asks her subject, “Are you really gonna stand there staring at me all the way from across the room?” almost teasing them to come closer. Intimacy and isolation exist in beautiful contrast in her world, much like the juxtaposition between her sparse, metallic instrumentals and raw, melismatic vocal inflections. This tension flourishes in the moody desperation of tracks like “NEEDSUMBODY,” which sounds like a pop-R&B garage band rehearsing in the other room.
Rose (Album), 2015
On album opener, “Feel,” you can hear her yearn for connection through music: “All I ever wanted, and all I ever needed is a beat and a hum that can make me feel human.” Despite the lyrical sincerity, the contrast between production and melody on her songs creates a detached moodiness that permeates her discography.
A huge part of that atmosphere comes from her self-produced ethos and unique combination of various influences, from trap and pop to R&B and even gospel. ABRA’s parents were missionaries and pastors, and you can hear the influence of Christian music in the haunting, complex vocal layering on “COME 4 ME” and “THINKING OF U.” These details add a spiritual undercurrent to songs about desire and loneliness, infusing them with extra emotional depth.
ABRA’s music can also drift into experimental pop territory. “Human,” an upbeat piano track, harkens to the likes of Kate Bush or FKA twigs. On the lush standout “CRYBABY,” she scorns an unaffected lover with a sharp wit and melodic dynamism reminiscent of SZA or Erykah Badu.
Still from ABRA’s video of her performing “BOUNTY,” posted to X, 2017.
This freeflowing DIY approach also forms a subtle connective tissue across her work, with overlapping sonic palettes, shared drum patterns, and recurring textures. The 2017 single “BOUNTY” even utilizes the same drumbeat as “PULL UP” from 2016, bringing different eras into the same nocturnal universe.
It’s rare to find a modern artist with a sound so distinct and definable. I’ll always know an ABRA song when I hear it: ‘80s gated drums, trap hi-hats, glittery synths, a deep bass, and maybe a piano tucked so far into the mix it reads more like atmosphere than harmony. And, of course, a singular vocal timbre gliding through unconventional runs with melodic freedom. The intentional sparseness of her music conveys an innate confidence in her songwriting. She’ll often repeat a complex melodic phrase like the world’s stickiest pop hook, as she does on “Pride,” trusting herself and her audience to catch on.
In an era overrun by generative AI, micro-trends across music and fashion, and algorithmic mundanity, it’s inspiring to look back on the work of ABRA. Her music is at once unique, experimental, and effortlessly cool, driven by a strong point of view and high level of vocal, songwriting, and production skill.
I hope for a full-scale ABRA comeback in the near future, but in the meantime I wish her luck with her new (adorable) baby and will continue to learn the lyrics to her verse on “Drugs” by Charli XCX. I’d love to see her drop more underground hits, produce for other artists, lend her voice to other genres, act in another film, and inspire cryptic cool girls for generations. For her one-of-a-kind, sexy, eerie, and bewitching contributions to music, I hereby declare ABRA Underrated™!
Picture shared to ABRA’s X, 2021.