On her major label debut album,
Maggie Rogers plays a nice game of ‘find the flaw’ with the listener. Spoiler: we all lose.
She’s a master storyteller, and this record is a novel, with no cliffhanger. The story really starts with the album’s first single ‘
Fallingwater’ (a genius move releasing that first BTW), the earth-shattering, tempo-changing, reflective track that sits comfortably in the record’s second half.
Change is a common theme on ‘
Heard It In A Past Life’, translating most acutely on the title(ish) track ‘
Past Life’ – a Regina Spector-ish piano ballad – and the closer ‘
Back In My Body’. The latter is a kiss-off to a particularly rough patch, and the perfect climax of an otherwise cathartic record.
That’s not to say there aren't bangers on here though. ‘
Burning’ is a jittery, cowbell-infused bop, ‘
Say It’ is a slow dance heartbreak anthem, ‘
Give A Little’ is a bright and hopeful opener.
