Maggie Rogers- Say It

Maggie Rogers | 2.10.23 | Roadrunner | Boston, MA

My illustration to celebrate the birthday of Heard It In A Past Life by Maggie Rogers. Prints can be purchased on my Society6 page <3 IG: @ally.leitschuh.art

bc i had to leave my car at the shop for a brake replacement yesterday:

- i walked to the post office to ship + return a defective apple pencil i got off ebay

- wearing my corduroys + windbreaker

- while listening to heard in it a past life by Maggie Rogers on my cassette player

- nature is healing

- (i am nature)

You and I, there’s air in between.

i was so cute during summer

Praise Be Unto Grandpa Enoch. 🙌🏻

overnight // maggie rogers 

lyric graphic

Album Review: Maggie Rogers

Artist: Maggie Rogers

Title: Surrender

Record Label: Capitol Records

Release Date: 29th July 2022

Rating: 8.0/10

Serendipity can be ironic at times can’t it? After a bout of non-stop touring in support of her superb debut album ‘Heard It in a Past Life’, that came to a halt in early 2020, Maggie Rogers craved solitude and a chance to recalibrate. Although Rogers sought her own form of isolation, it would appear fate had other plans and, we all know what happened next. With Covid spreading across the globe, Rogers retreated to the coast of Maine with the view of shutting out the world for as long as she needed to. After a period of deliberate stillness Rogers felt the urge to create music once again, as ideas began to manifest into what would eventually become her sophomore record ‘Surrender’.

‘Surrender’ is a record of raw intimacy, and raw intensity, and despite its conception occurring in Covid-times, this is by no-means a Coronavirus themed album. However, there are references to the world at large but more-so from a societal point of view, which is echoed in ‘Horses’ and closing number ‘Different Kind of World’. Both tracks find our protagonist in a ponderous frame of mind while being accompanied by a subtle acoustic lilt. The former contains the contemplative “you said you wondered about the world/well I have since I was a little girl”. While the latter bristles with a relatable anxiety as Rogers confesses that her “palms are sweating thinking about the state of the world”….you and the rest of us Maggie. Elsewhere ‘Surrender’ focuses on friendship, mostly from what seems a platonic place, although there are occurrences that recount the sentiment of love being rebuffed from the other party. Sonically the Maryland resident’s latest offering is a wonderfully constructed record (Rogers co-produced the album with Kid Harpoon) as it straddles musical borders between contemporary pop, R ‘n’ B and soft-rock. For the most part it’s an LP that’s built layer-upon-layer of subtly nuanced aural nuggets, with wordless vocal ticks creating beat-like textures as plumes of fuzz coalesce with a defiant energy. Then of course there’s Rogers’ impeccable voice which effortlessly skips from subtle and tender to full-blown powerhouse.

All the time spent secluded in Maine appears to have centred Rogers’ focus on the themes of support and companionship which are frequent occurrences that weave their way through ‘Surrender’. ‘That’s Where I Am’ maybe slightly tinged as a love story that never quite happened but the sense of connection and fondness can’t be ignored when Rogers trills “you’re the only one I ever wanted/all I ever really wanted was you” without a pang of sadness. All of this is wrapped up in juddering, nuanced pop that’s underpinned by a thumping bass drum. ‘Anywhere With You’ follows a similar pattern but this time the singer/producer is coming to the aid of a friend who’s going through some rough times. Starting off as a sombre piano ballad the track eventually erupts into a wave of triumphant noise as our figurehead grabs her buddy by the hand while bellowing “if I’m going to lose my mind/I’m going to lose it with you” as they journey off into the horizon, leaving all bad vibes behind. ‘Be Cool’s watery textures and shuffling beats wash over Rogers as she, again, utters words of unfaltering reassurance “I’ll promise I’ll be there/to cover you with love/just be cool”. On the other end of the spectrum is the immediate staccato propulsion of ‘Shatter’ which is pitched somewhere between 80s pop quirkiness and driven rock. Suffice to say Rogers’ vocal display here is breathless and wholeheartedly cathartic. When the singer hollers “I’ll do anything just to be with you” you can feel the sentiment. ‘I’ve Got a Friend’ is stripped back to just a plucked acoustic guitar, a jangly piano and that outstanding voice Rogers is blessed with. It’s a touching ode to unwavering friendship, one “that’s been through it all”, the good times and the bad, the kind of friend “when I’ve been through shit/she’s the first one I call”. The kind of friendship that lasts a lifetime.

Vulnerable yet unflinchingly powerful ‘Surrender’ is the kind of record that stops you from “thinking about the state of the world” for a while and transports you to a place of compassion, love and friendship. Right now, that sounds pretty perfect right?

I knew it when you looked my way That I'd be begging you to stay

Say It, Maggie Rogers

Maggie Rogers- Burning

Maggie Rogers | 2.10.23 | Roadrunner | Boston, MA

Thought I was gonna be hardcore Heard It In A Past Life girlie but Surrender bangs

“Take me through this wild time

Stay with me through all of time

I'm drenched in madness, dangled blue

Won't you, won't you?”