SONG REVIEW: Abby Roberts ‘Hysteric Glamour’
Photos by Soph Buckley
After a two-year break from music, Abby Roberts returns with “Hysteric Glamour,” a glittering, theatrical track that feels like stepping into the aftermath of an impossibly glamorous dinner party. Satin, platform shoes, stolen glances and champagne-soaked romance collide in a song that is as intoxicating as it is vulnerable.
The track immediately establishes its cinematic world with the line, “lock eyes from across the room, I know we won’t be leaving soon.” It is the kind of lyric that captures the electricity of instant attraction without overexplaining it. Throughout the song, Roberts builds on that sense of reckless devotion: “go anywhere as long as he’s with me” and “heaven knows how bad I need you” reveal a narrator completely swept up in desire.
But it is the chorus where “Hysteric Glamour” really comes alive. “let’s call this hysteric glamour/curtain call and platform shoes / be the rest to my satin blue / you wear me, and i’ll wear you” is irresistibly catchy, while also feeling distinctly theatrical. The imagery makes romance sound like a performance - glamorous, dramatic and perhaps destined to end when the curtain falls. “You wear me, and I’ll wear you” is especially striking, blurring the lines between intimacy, identity and performance.
There is an almost dreamlike quality to Roberts’ writing that becomes particularly apparent in “I could be your muse if you want me to.” The emphasis on “to” leaves the line hanging in the air, giving it a whimsical, haunting quality. It feels both like an invitation and a surrender - a tiny moment of vulnerability hidden inside all the glamour.
That vulnerability carries extra weight given Roberts’ return to music after two years away and her openness about her breakup on social media. Knowing the personal circumstances behind the song makes its romantic excess feel less like escapism and more like a deliberate transformation of heartbreak into something beautiful. Rather than hiding from the messiness of love, “Hysteric Glamour” dresses it up in satin and sends it onto the stage.
Ultimately, the song succeeds because it understands that glamour and vulnerability are not opposites. Roberts turns infatuation, longing and heartbreak into something theatrical and addictive, creating a world you want to stay inside for just a little longer. “Hysteric Glamour” is a dazzling return - romantic, haunting and impossible not to sing along to.
by Maisy Stewart
