Artist and album review of the month: Who is Maggie Rogers? Why listen to “Surrender”?
On July 29, Maggie Rogers released her newest album, titled “Surrender,” blessing listeners with the echo of her powerful voice, making up yet another perfectly-orchestrated collection of songs. Between pop-hype tunes, sad ballads, heavy rock undertones and light melodies, there are so many emotionally unguarded moments that mesh into one truly cohesive piece of deeply intuitive musical art. As compared to Rogers’s first album “Heard it in a Past Life,” there is a certain sense of experiential maturity that accompanies “Surrender;” with themes of fear, past love, frustration, joy and convivial connections with friends that shine through both the lyrics and sounds presented throughout this record. In an interview with Apple Music titled, “Maggie Rogers: ‘Surrender,’ Songwriting, and Freedom of Expression,” the artist talked about the moments of “vulnerability” she experienced when making this album, and her role as a songwriter during her return to music creation while surrounded by her closest friends.
“Music is this crazy art form because it takes these deeply vulnerable feelings, because our jobs as artists is to feel, and in every other art form there is a boundary between that center creator and the public life. … It’s been interesting, this sort of album cycle, and in this record specifically I feel like I got to go back to writing songs like I was in high-school, unguarded, no one was listening. I wasn’t making songs thinking about making a record, I didn’t make music the first four or five months of the pandemic, and when I came back to it it was like, oh when I’m bored I love making beats. It’s my favorite way to pass the time,” Rogers said in the interview.
This record will make you want to jump on top of a building and scream your heart out with a newfound sense of autonomy, or crawl into a ball and sob while thinking about Rogers’s wistful, soul-stirring lyrics. Although you do not want to miss out on listening to the entire album, a few notable tracks to start with are: “Symphony,” “That’s Where I Am” and “Be Cool.”
I recommend checking out “Surrender” this month by sitting down by yourself with headphones on, and jamming out to each and every beautiful moment it has to offer.
Playlist recommendations for Spotify users:
– In the wake of Netflix’s new season of “Stranger Things,” Spotify has curated a new “Upside Down” playlist with a mix-and-mash of new and old hits based on your listening history, and features songs that might just save you from Vecna.
– Check out Spotify’s other curated playlists under your profile recommendations, where listeners can find songs that are just perfect for each and every mood — including “Moody,” “Happy,” “Creepy,” “Hype,” “Chill” mixes and more.
– Want to make the most of summer while you still can? Queue up Spotify’s “My life is a movie” playlist and groove to a selection of beats while you feel like the main character driving with your windows down.
A few other indie rock artists you should listen to this month, with 3 recommended songs:
– Phoebe Bridgers: “Motion Sickness,” “Garden Song,” “Sidelines.”
– Miloe: “Winona,” “Greenhouse,” “Elastic.”
– Beach Bunny: “Entropy,” “Cuffing Season,” “Painkiller.”
– Mitski: “Francis Forever,” “Stay Soft,” “Love Me More.”
– Rex Orange County: “The Shade,” “Keep it up,” “Pluto Projector.”
– Pom Pom Squad: “Head Cheerleader,” “Be Good,” “Honeysuckle.”
Olivia is a senior studying English at WSU Vancouver.