Album Review: "Heard It In A Past Life" by Maggie Rogers

Hey everyone!

If we can give you one clue about what you can expect from New Music Friday on HITS today,
it's that it's completely focused on girl power.

We are so excited about the amount of ladies who are releasing extremely fantastic music today,
so naturally we need to share as many of them with you as we can.

(Might be feeling some pressure to really get all the posts out there today,
but let's do it!)

Let's start chatting about one of those releases we've been anticipating for months now!


Artist: Maggie Rogers
Title: Heard It In A Past Life
Genre: Alternative
Label: Capitol Records
Release Date: 18th January 2019


Maggie Rogers is a singer, songwriter & producer from Easton, Maryland (US).

She has found her roots in Folk music and over the years has developed the unique and versatile sound she is now known for.
Maggie learned playing the harp at age seven, soon added guitar, piano and banjo to the mix and found herself indentifying as the banjo girl, a title she still carries with pride.

In 2016 Maggie had the chance to have her song "Alaska" played in front of Pharell Williams, which led to the video of his reaction going viral.
Being visibly moved and impressed by the young musician's talent for writing and producing, Williams had no notes on changes to be made, but a whole lot of praise.

And he's not alone.
Maggie caught the attention of music fans all over the world and quickly went from being an insider tip, to the new girl everyone in the industry talks about.


Alright, now that we know more about Maggie,
let's get to know her debut album.


Tracklist:
1) Give A Little
2) Overnight
3) The Knife
4) Alaska
5) Light On
6) Past Life
7) Say It
8) On + Off
9) Fallingwater
10) Retrograde
11) Burning
12) Back In My Body


Opener "Give A Little" is a clever track that pulls you in from the first note on.
The little sample sound is the first one we hear and it stays with us throughout the track, allowing us to settle into the song and discover the rest of the elements.
Maggie's vocals take control of the song as soon as they kick in, which is an absolute delight for your ears.
With a chorus so catchy and infectious, you'll be singing along in no time.

"Overnight" is definitely a stand-out track with a melody so fascinating and refreshing.
Again, it's Maggie's voice which controls the rhythm of the track so seemingly easily that you are completely drawn to the lyrics. She seems to have this absolute talent for placing backing vocals and little synths in the most logical yet surprising ways, grabbing your attention and not letting go of it until she finishes the track.
(Fun fact: the synths on this track are samples of glaciers and frog sounds!)

Her most recent single, "Light On", deserves to be heard in every version that is out there.
You might've seen this - pretty iconic - performance of the track which was shot in Paris as it literally blew away everyone on the internet the other day.
It's a vulnerable track, telling the story of something that's coming to end and the emotions that come with change. It's Maggie's promise to stay true to herself, to still be "dancing at the end of the day", no matter what.
And that's one powerful message to send out there. (And we're gladly receiving it, joining the dancing!)

"Back In My Body" is the beautiful end of this stunning record, which resembles Maggie's journey through life.
Each track takes you along on the ride, drives you carefully through the bumps along the way and let's you come home with the final track on the album.
The instrumentals get a big moment and showcase her talent as a writer, musician and producer.


To sum it up: With lyrics that tell stories so honestly and openly, "Heard It In A Past Life" is filled with songs you can relate to.
On top of that, Maggie Rogers clearly has all the skills to win you over with clever chord progressions, catchy hooks and danceable beats.
Dare we call this album one of the most exciting records of the year this early on?
Absolutely!

You should listen to these tracks: Give A Little, Overnight, Alaska, Light On



Watch the magical music video for "Light On" right here:




- buy and/or stream "Heard It In A Past Life" -



Maggie Rogers online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jetwash | Image: via Maggie Rogers