The third major label studio album from Maggie Rogers, called Don’t Forget Me, showcases the singer-songwriter’s continued growth in more ways than one. While I originally saw Rogers in the same realm of pop artists like Kacey Musgraves, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker, it turns out she may just be this generation’s Joni Mitchell. With crisp production that Rogers and Ian Fitchuk co-produce on this outstanding record, Maggie Rogers quickly cements herself as one of the marquee pop acts in the world. Having recently announced a comprehensive arena tour, that is selling extremely well, Rogers takes full advantage of her time in the spotlight on this breezy collection of ten songs that blend pop, country, and captivating storytelling in her most fully-realized album to date. The artist that once had a starry-eyed vision of headlining the places she grew up attending, has come full circle and seeing her hard work come to fruition.
Don’t Forget Me is a record that breathes new life into the singer-songwriter genre by displaying what makes Maggie Rogers instantly relatable, yet her artistic development is exploding at an alarming trajectory. The cautious opener of “It Was Coming All Along” puts herself into the story of her songs as she sings in the second verse of, “And she’s saying, hold your temper / ‘Hey there, Maggie, slow your roll / And I know that you still hate him / For the way he hurt you back at school,” and the songwriting continues to get better from there. “Drunk” has an alt-country twang to it, while Rogers’ vocal cadence commands the song from the first notes, and never lets up. The song remains a standout on repeat listens, and this young artist’s ability to captivate her audience remains top notch.
The casual unfolding of “So Sick Of Dreaming” plays out like a Sheryl Crow tune paired with the pop bliss of Fiona Apple, and I enjoyed the section where Rogers talks over the instrumental mix about being stood up by her date in favor of him getting Knicks tickets, as she explains, “So he calls me up fifteen minutes before the reservation and says he’s got Knicks tickets instead / I mean, I was at the restaurant! / So I took the steaks to go, I had two martinis at the bar / And went to meet my friends down the street / What a loser!” This relatable feeling of finding out that someone isn’t worth your time is heartbreaking, yet Rogers takes it all in stride.
The current single of “The Kill” is a great mix of vibrant synths paired with cool-sounding guitars to lend themselves as a canvas for Rogers to put her sensational vocals over. The breezy-soothing second verse of, “Remember the days we used to drive upstate / Singing indie-rock songs in the car / You wore your fresh leather / And blamed it on the weather / For being the reason you were / So difficult, but so invincible,” put firm focus on Rogers’ unique ability to vividly explain the world around her in a picturesque fashion. The front half closes out with the steady beat found on “If Now Was Then” than finds Rogers effortlessly swaying from her normal vocal register to a falsetto with veteran ease.
The piano-laced ballad of “I Still Do” is pop perfection in its purest form, and she conveys a wide range of emotions in her vocal delivery. The cool jazz-pop of “On & On & On” breaks up some of the similar-sounding songs found on the front half of the record, and remains a standout in this LP that is filled with so many thrilling moments from front-to-back. The slow-build of “Never Going Home” may just be my favorite song that Maggie Rogers has penned to date, and the shimmering chorus of, “I can’t behave, but I don’t want to be alone, but / You kept me waiting, now I’m never, ever going home / Never going home,” paint a picture of an artist and person fulfilling their musical destiny. “All The Same” reminds me of the early recordings that Rogers put together before she was signed to a major label, yet the thoughtfulness of the lyrics continue her artistic growth in new and exciting ways.
By the time you reach the title track, you’ve likely come to the same conclusion as me: this girl absolutely belongs on the biggest of stages. Maggie Rogers’ outstanding progression as an artist continues on Don’t Forget Me, and by my count, she’s three for three on hitting the mark on her major label albums. Each record has been different, and yet utterly captivating in their own way, that keeps the audience coming back for repeat spins. This era of her music is her strongest statement to date, and I certainly won’t forget the impact she has had on the current music scene anytime soon.