Maggie Rogers misses the boldness of her singles on ‘Heard It In A Past Life’
She stole our hearts with ‘Alaska’, but that same musical bravery is left wanting on Rogers debut album.
The world fell in love with a vulnerable, fresh-faced, 22-year-old student called Maggie Rogers as she nervously anticipated the reaction of musical giant, Pharrell Williams’, to her song Alaska. Williams, visibly shaken after hearing the track for the first time at an NYU Master Class session, declared he had “zero notes,” in a viral video that would go on to catapult Rogers to stardom in just a manner of months.
After 3 million Spotify followers, a mesmerising SNL performance, a stint at Glastonbury, and not to mention a casual record label bidding war, Rogers did what most do. She graduated from university and got a job. It just so happened that that job was “pop star”.
Two years later and her debut album, Heard it in a Past Life, is ready for the world. Rogers wrote the entire album, and it was produced by Greg Kurstin, Kid Harpoon and Rogers together. It chronicles her meteoric rise to fame through a compilation of lighthearted synth-pop dance tracks. With her ethereal voice, that manages to be both powerful and vulnerable, she bridges the gap between who she was in her first EP, Now That the Light Is Fading, and who she is now. The LP includes 12 songs, with previous singles Give a Little, On + Off, Fallingwater, Light On and of course Alaska, the track that started it all.
The album shows Rogers growing into her voice as an artist, with excellent production and a tracklist that sits well in the mainstream space while still maintaining that atypical pop charm. It’s intimate, and balances well placed pop beats with an intimate meditative introspection that feels genuine. She goes back to her folk roots with Past Life, a searing ballad reminiscent of a young Stevie Nicks, and carries through a chirpy pop beat that sounds like it would feel right at home in a HAIM album with Give a Little. Light On offers a touching letter to her fans about the whirlwind last few years of her life.
It’s not hard to fall for Rogers. The stripped down, girl-next-door, flower child vibe coupled with a story everyone can’t help but get behind, you can’t help but want to like this girl. There’s an authenticity there that’s captivating and refreshing in a music landscape full of mass-produced label puppets.
Overall it’s a solid pop album. But while that might be its strength, it’s also its fatal flaw. Maggie Rogers has struggled to impress, with a debut album that couldn’t possibly live up to the boldness of her previous singles. At its best, Heard It In A Past Life is atypical pop perfection and at its worst, simply forgettable. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt Rogers has successfully left her mark on the world in the way she knows best.
Standout Tracks: Past Life, Say It, Overnight, Give a Little
