Most of the reviews of Maggie Rogers’ debut album, Heard It in a Past Life, say that her journey with music began with Pharrell Williams after he was blown away by her song ‘Alaska’. This was a turning point for Rogers and her career as a musician after the video of a shocked Pharrell went viral. Her blend of pop and folk took the internet by storm and now just over two years later, she has delivered her debut album. What is often forgotten are her roots in folk and how she has been working on music since she was a teenager. Pharrell was just a launch pad, and this is very clear in her debut album.
Raw and dangerously poppy, each song is a diary entry and will have you crying over a tub of Ben and Jerry’s whilst dancing in your pyjamas the moment you hit play. Tracks like ‘Give it a Little’ and ‘Overnight’ capture moments in time for Rogers that are filled with emotion and sentimentality. The quick beats could fool you into thinking that these songs are filled with happiness but, in reality, they are floor fillers that will induce tears.
Rogers uses bird noises in ‘Alaska’ and metal hitting off a glass jar in ‘Burning’ as if the landscape of Alaska has followed her and seeped its way into the album. These paired with airy backing vocals create so much space throughout the album as if Rogers has finally found the room to breathe. These tracks, as well as ‘Retrograde’ and ‘Back in my Body’ which finishes the album, can be deceptively simple. Rogers has carefully crafted a balance between her effortless vocals and hidden synths which capture a rawness and make every aspect of the song works seamlessly together.
Whilst the energy can wash in and out of the album, sometimes there can be an overwhelming amount of noise. Backing vocals are fighting with beats, guitars becoming overbearing and Rogers really has to push her vocals hard in order to be heard. Rogers can tap into wonderful pop such as ‘The Knife’ but some songs don’t hit that mark. The energy throughout the album ebbs and flows but in some tracks, the simplicity that made ‘Alaska’ so good is left behind for a song that is overloaded with sound.
Rogers opens her heart and captures the essence of what it feels like to go on a journey after feeling so lost for so long. The sad pop anthems that speak to the broken heart or the empty mind are the highlights. With some journeys, it’s more difficult to find your way and with some tracks on Heard it in a Past Life, the eclectic mix of sounds become just too much and they never do reach an end-point.
Rating: 3/5
