Brontë Fall is celebrating the success of her last LP, 2024’s Not Done Yet, by embracing a fresh new side of her persona. The Americana-tinged album was her most successful to date—earning her significant radio play, a nomination at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards, and five Josie Award nominations. It was far and away her most accomplished album. When it came time for its follow-up, Teri Bracken was excited for a new opportunity to record in LA - with pop producer Brian Kennedy - that arose in the wake of her 2024 release.  The result is “Invited (to the Party)”, which might just be the most catchy song within the Brontë Fall repertoire. It also makes one thing crystal clear: Teri Bracken is in her pop era. 

Though “Invited (to the Party)” is the Brontë Fall version of a top 40 smash, it still betrays all the characteristics that make Bracken one of Nashville’s most consistently excellent songwriters. It’s incisive and introspective, a self-interrogation that still touches on themes that affect us all. The song is a reflection on her trip to Hollywood following her Independent Music Award nomination and the thrill that came with the glitz and glamour of being recognized by her peers. Bracken has always been fiercely independent, but schmoozing in a room and being celebrated for her work felt…great. The validation from fellow industry mainstays gave her the validation to keep pursuing whatever she damn well pleased, even if that meant pivoting towards a more pop aesthetic stylistically. It’s a shoe that fits perfectly, it turns out. One listen to “Invited (to the Party)” makes that abundantly clear.

“Life is meant to be lived and risks are meant to be taken,” Bracken explains. Sure, she’s nervous that some of her fans might take a minute to adjust to this new direction, but it’s impossible to listen to the song and not hear the same creative chops that informs all of her work. “It makes me feel alive, truly. What’s coming next? I don't know. I’m making it up as I go.” Though Bracken has been making music professionally for a decade, “Invited (to the Party)” resembles the early days in her career, when she was uninhibited because no one expected anything of her.

The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist had always been a music obsessive while growing up in Chicago, and got her start while working at the famed venue in the city, The Hideout. The booker at the venue knew she was writing songs on her own and asked if she wanted to play. She recorded a few songs, recruited a band, and came up with a name. Inspired by the perseverance of the Brontë sisters—whose resistance to gender stereotypes in their industry would be a guiding light for Bracken—she named the group “Brontë.” She added “Fall” after her favorite Emily Brontë poem, “Fall, Leaves, Fall.” That was the beginning of what has become Bracken’s life—a dedication to songcraft, equality, and the Nashville community she now calls home.

After releasing Finishing School in 2020 and recording Winter in 2021 (released in 2022), the songwriter, who has called Nashville home for eight years, took some time to be with her ailing father. Not Done Yet was made in the wake of grief, heartbreak, and defiance that came when her dad passed away. She doubled down on her music, and, in a moment that would surely make him proud, she released the best album of her career. “Invited (to the Party)” is both a celebration of that era and a declaration of where things are headed.

“Getting nominated for that HIMA award felt damn good. It finally felt like I had a foot in the door. I started in 2017, and in some ways, it felt like it took nine years to get to this place.” She likens her ascension in the industry to a narrative we all know and love: Mean Girls. On “Invited (to the Party)”, she sings over a bubbling bassline and crisp drums, “I was the Cady Heron, new girl to town/ Always the one staying in when the mean girls went out.” Teri Bracken is the furthest thing from a mean girl, but when she got that invite to Hollywood for the HIMAs, she sure as hell was going out. During the chorus she adds: “I got invited to the party/ Got everybody looking at me.” It feels good, but it’s only so satisfying because Bracken followed her own path to get here and compromised for no one.

“It’s okay to feel good,” Bracken explains. “You actually have to celebrate the wins because this industry is so hard.” As a result, “Invited (to the Party)” is an epic victory lap, and it’s also a reminder that no one navigates this industry without friends and supporters. “We all feel like the new kid at some point,” she explains, before likening this success to finding your people in school. “It just finally feels good to be recognized in the music industry,” she says with humility and defiance. It’s these traits that make Teri Bracken a great songwriter and better person.