A soft, clean, plucked electric guitar, set against the shimmering synth pads at the start of “Overdrive”, immediately plunges you into the reflective and intimate soundworld of Maggie Rogers’ latest album, courtesy of co-production from Kid Harpoon (Florence Welch, Calvin Harris). Surprise in the form of a short brassy synth which answers Rogers’ anguished cries of “Owaahh” launches you into the rinsing, saturated texture of the song, packed with distorted riffs that perfectly balance her powerful, long, often arching vocal lines. Her voice is deeper and fuller than on her 2019 debut, Heard It In A Past Life, which complements her increasingly mature lyric style and the sense that she knows herself better.
For me, less is more when it comes to Rogers’ lyrics, and her writing in “Overdrive”, which is shrouded in metaphor and things left unsaid, gives the impression that we are peering into a memory that she has kept. The ambiguous repeated phrase, “in overdrive”, whilst implying a certain intensity to any emotion, keeps the listener guessing as to what exactly she is referring to, giving the song an intangible mix of regret and hope which inform the self-reflecting lyrical content seen on the album as a whole.
Moving through Surrender, the second track, “That’s Where I Am”, is an almost perfect love song: yearning and hopeful when looking back to how she felt in the past, while radiant and content when discussing her present successful relationship. Sadly, for me, the song suffers from being just too monotonous, and a good example of the bland bridge writing I feel plagues the album at times. This leads on to a heavier track on the album instrumentally, “Want Want”, which, whilst not particularly memorable, provides a needed textural and dynamic contrast in between “That’s Where I Am” and “Anywhere With You” – two more gentle tracks. “Anywhere With You” is an amazing example of a dynamic hair-pin that spans the whole song. The crescendo, from distorted vocal loop and piano to full band, is completely emotion-filled. Here the bridge utilises, to great avail, more of the Florence + The Machine influence from Kid Harpoon’s production. This consists of a focus on Rogers’ higher vocal range, reminding me of Florence Welch’s characteristic wailing, and the distinctive dropping out of instrumentation to make the final chorus more climactic as it crashes down upon the listener, an effect clearly utilised in Florence + The Machine’s “Ship To Wreck”. The built-up tension in the final chorus eventually peters out to Rogers’ soft piano playing, closing the track-long expression of wholesome adoration for her partner and their future together.
The album then takes a brief turn for the worse, with “Horses” leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Here, her high range comes across to me as borderline whining and not as well controlled as in other places on the album. The melody, to me, is boring and repetitive, which is a shame given that the lyrics are a deeply personal yet relatable calling to be free, utilising the apparent freedom of horses running as an idyllic metaphor for her own unattainable freedom. The instrumentation also comes across as some of the least interesting on the album, and structurally speaking, the unimaginative verse-chorus-verse chorus-bridge-chorus seems ironically the opposite of the freedom that Rogers is singing about.
Raising the album out of its light dirge, we then enter a more synth-heavy section, with the upbeat tracks, “Be Cool” and “Shatter”, the latter featuring backing vocals (and tambourine) from Florence Welch, literally infusing the album with a Florence + The Machine energy. I like the synth work textures and licks here, and “Shatter” is definitely a feel-good highlight of the album. This energetic peak leads straight into one of the more delicate tracks on the album, “Begging for Rain”. This evidences that Rogers can control her upper range, while the production allows her voice to effortlessly float on top of a cushioning rainy soundscape, with Jon Batiste adding subtly on the melodica.
Jazz pianist Jon Batiste killing it on piano is, in my opinion, the only saving grace for “I’ve Got a Friend”. Clairo and Claud praising his piano playing, especially as they get credited as “speakers” on the track, is a humorous touch. The sheer fun of a studio session with such brilliant musicians does infuse itself into the song, yet I am left with a sense of voyeurism that removes me from the intimacy of the rest of the album. It also seems to be some of her most naive, crude writing on the album, as seen in the lyrics, “masturbates to Rob Pattinson, staring at the wall” for example. It seems to adopt an out of place immaturity that clashes with the deeper, more metaphorical, elusive lyrics heard on the majority of the album.
After an unmemorable “Honey”, the penultimate track, “Symphony”, is luckily another well-needed album highlight. Rolling guitar loops, distorted swelling bass guitar, simmering synth bleeps, and captivating drum grooves complement perhaps the best lyric writing on the album. The whole song is steeped in metaphor, and the simplicity of the words allow you to form your own connections to the song. The open ended, “Can you live like nothing’s left?”, and the lengthier, “I’ll tеll your friends // Come over whеn // They can find the time to walk the mile down the road”, are both examples of phrases in the song that I have found myself reinterpreting on each listen. On “Symphony”, the production is helped by Gabe Goodman – rather than Kid Harpoon – and as a result her voice has been mixed deeper within the texture of the track, which adds to the feeling of intimacy and care that Rogers imparts in her lyrics. The extensive ritardando at the end of the track really brings home the caring sentiment of being present in the moment with someone, and leads the ear perfectly to the final track on the album.
Closing the record, “Different Kind of World” surprised me. When looking at the short length of the song in comparison with the rest of the album, I assumed Rogers was simply going to give a soft acoustic guitar and pad accompanied outro. I was caught completely off-guard when it left her shimmering vocals behind and fell into a full band, head-banging breakdown. Oh but what a great way to end an album!
I did not really enjoy Rogers’ previous album, Heard It In A Past Life, but have been pleasantly surprised here by the more mature and self-assured sound that Rogers brings to this record. Whilst I find some of the lyrics crass and puerile, a lot of the writing is very much her own, quite present, and it is clear that she makes the music the vehicle for her stories, which I do enjoy. Her more refined vocal technique and fuller voice is pleasantly affirmed by the Florence Welch energy imparted on this record from Kid Harpoon’s production. On the whole, I think that despite a few downfall tracks, it is a coherent and consistent album.
7/10
Favourites: “Overdrive”, “That’s Where I Am”, “Anywhere With You”, “Shatter”, “Symphony”.
Least Favourite: “Want Want”, “Horses”, “I’ve Got a Friend”.