Maggie Rogers is known for punchy music, cool beats and shattering vocals, but her new album, Don’t Forget Me is a little more pared back. A warmer acoustic sound threads through each track. This sometimes pays off and hits that longing nostalgia button, but it can fall flat at times.
We break down each of the tracks below. Note that you may want to save this to read later after you’ve taken a listen…
Side A – Dan
01 – It Was Coming All Along
Wistful nostalgia dominates this one. About two minutes in I feel flat with sounds we are too used to (i.e. that Stranger Things synth). It’s a shame, because with a little more work on lyrics and pacing, this could be a real gem.
02 – Drunk
In the first few seconds there is potential to make some real texture, before the Bieber-esque kick beat (of which I am usually a fan) comes in. The guitars pluck around, trying to find their sound again, somewhat lost on the strings. The song picks up nearer the end around the 2.40 mark, but soon trails off again.
03 – So Sick of Dreaming
There is real warmth to this one. Here the meandering guitar, twanging and rolling us around, finds its place. Rogers’ real voice carries across the digital sterility, although the voice note part feels like an iPhone interrupting a conversation with a friend.
04 – The Kill
Punchy. What sounds like a saxophone rounds off this song nicely. I only wished that it could have gotten a bit more use. That riff carries us forward with Rogers’ nostalgic careful lyricism.
05 – If Now Was Then
This one washed over me a little, but the guitar plucks things closer to the tracks.
Side B – Alice
06 – I Still Do
This is one of the stronger tracks on the album so far, although the piano intro anticipates a slower pace of this track compared with the previous tracks. On its own, this works really well, working towards a big build up at the end of the song which actually pays off.
07 – On & On & On
Very earwormy and not in a good way. Feels similar to ‘Want Want’ from Rogers’ previous album which felt similarly repetitive and like something we’ve heard many times before. Although the guitar in the background of the chorus is soothing compared with the ill-fitting bass in the verses, these pop feeling tracks rarely fit with the rest of the album and ‘Don’t Forget Me’ would probably benefit from leaving this one out.
08 – Never Going Home
The energetic beginning to this one really grabbed me and the song as a whole proved to be lyrically and musically really strong. This has potential to be one of the tracks I keep revisiting, and the only section that lets it down is the abrupt change in tempo which really slows down the second verse.
09 – All The Same
The acoustic feel here is calming but it feels very slow compared with the rest of the album. The song benefits from listening to it before the final track, working to wind down to the conclusion of the album, though I’m unsure I’d come back to listen to this one on its own.
10 – Don’t Forget Me
It is unsurprising that this was one of the pre-released songs, providing a lyrically strong ending to the album.
Maggie Rogers’ new album will be released worldwide on the 12th April by Capitol Records, Universal Music Group.