I’m not a fan of testing new artists very often–I like my one mega-playlist.Yet Maggie Rogers’s new album, “Don’t Forget Me,” gave me a new artist to fawn over and new songs to expand my playlist.
Maggie Rogers rose to fame after her song, “Alaska” became popular. Her second album “Surrender” was released on July 29, 2022, making “Don’t Forget Me” her third studio album release. Surprisingly, Rogers and Ian Fitchuck (one of the co- producers) wrote eight songs in five days. The other two were written by Rogers alone.
The album features 10 songs, all of which, when put in order, tell a story. According to Rogers, this album is a collection of her memories, but later, it became about a specific but fictitious character.
“Some of these stories on this album are mine,” said Rogers in an interview with The LINE of BEST FIT. “And for the first time really, some of them are not. The moments that are mine feel like memories– glimpses from college, details from when I was 18, 22, 28 (I’m 29 now). In writing the album sequentially, at some point a character emerged.”
The first song in the series, “It was Coming All Along,” set the stage for the turbulent emotions that followed. This 90’s esquesong talks about how the narrator saw the changes in life, and feeling confused about hanging onto the past as a result: “And I don’t know what to do, I’m fine but I’m breaking through.”
The second song, “Drunk” (admittedly one of my top three) is more fast paced, about the feeling of experiencing the beginning of love, and the dreamy thoughts that come with it. The iconic lyric that sums up this song is,“I am drunk, but not drinking.”
The relationship progresses throughout the album, with songs such as “Sick of Dreaming” explaining how the narrator finds the relationship unfulfilling.
Another of my favorites, “The Kill,” comes after “Sick of Dreaming,” In this track, the narrator is reflecting on the now-ended relationship. The beats are steady with Fitchuk’s electric guitar shining through. It is nostalgic, with them admitting that both partners were the cause of the fallout.
Fast forward past songs such as “If Now Was Then,” “I Still Do,” “On & On & On,” “Never Going Home,” “All The Same,” and we come to the titular song, “Don’t Forget Me.” The tune is soft , beats steady, lyrics clear, and surprisingly, it is the only song with a proper music video (the others were pseudo videos). The video portrays Rogers as youthful– the video set up as if her lover is capturing a series of memorable moments. It is all about love– wanting it, but also fearing it.
As much as I would love to yell from the rooftops that this album is beautiful and perfect in conveying emotions and everything, I have one critique.
Some of the songs were too slow or uncatchy. Songs such as “If Now Was Then,” “I Still Do,” “On & On & On,” “Never Going Home,” and “All The Same” were very slow in the pacing, and the way they told the story. It makes sense to give a perspective on the grieving emotions of a breakup, but at the same time, it simply becomes too repetitive.
In the end, “Don’t Forget Me” is probably the most famous album for Rogers’s legacy with its unique blend of pop-rock and Fitchuck’s elements of disco and country. And I certainly don’t regret adding this to my mega-playlist.
