Maggie Rogers Continues Meteoric Rise With Exceptional Debut Full Length ‘Heard It In A Past Life’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

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Maggie Rogers 2017 EP Now That The Light Is Failing was hailed as a fresh burst of indie pop and now on her debut full length Heard It In A Past Life, Rogers proves it wasn’t hype as she continues her meteoric rise with a lush modern sound arraigned around confident lyrics and singing.

From Easton, Maryland the NYU grad gets things started on a high note as “Give A Little” begins with a stuttering beat and dynamic vocals. The track gradually increases the instrumentation and digital beats, each layer accentuating Rogers’s breathy singing, before the dance-laden chorus breaks through.

The artist keeps the good vibes flowing with the Rogers executive producing the tracks with help from Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck, Kelly Clarkson, etc) as the duo nail it on the relationship based bumping “Overnight” complete with hated voicemails and big sips of whiskey before “The Knife” displays an intoxicating mélange of jangly disco swirls. Rogers’s lyrics have a searching quality throughout as she is still figuring out which way to go in all aspects of life as she and the producers (Kurstin consistently with Kid Harpoon and others joining throughout) pair sounds that engage and drive the listener.  

One of the best parts of the record is that Rogers seems to be getting stronger as an artist. “Alaska” was the song which broke Rogers (garnering over 100 million streams) but it is the weakest track presented. Its earthy vibe and laid back falsetto don’t fit on the album or connect like other newer efforts including the pulsating “Retrograde”, the dynamic “Burning” with its fuzzy (yet somehow organic) undercurrent and soaring chorus or sultry eighties influenced European based closer “Back In My Body”. Other offerings like “Say It” start reserved before flourishing while “On + Off” rhythmically sways in celebratory fashion and the excellent “Fallingwater” (with help from Rostam Batmanglij) pushes drum beats and piano around Rogers dynamic vocals.

That piano playing from Rogers also throws the curveball at the listener mid-album with the tune “Past Life”. The singer/songwriter direct ballad shows off another side of the artist ripe for future exploration amid the warm pop productions and dance tracks.

That pop work reaches the zenith with arena-ready bombast during “Light On” with its anthemic production, complete with percussion ranging from handclaps to huge booming detonations. The track is a stunner but all twelve songs on Heard It In A Past Life are worthy of repeated listens; a rare feat for a modern pop album. Rogers is well on her way to inhabit the bright spotlights of stardom with her affecting lyrics, strong vocals, and gorgeous soundscapes of dance floor filling tunes.          

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