Don’t Forget Me – Maggie Rogers

By Alex Hargreaves

When Maggie Rogers, a 22 year old NYU student, broke onto the scene with ‘Alaska’, she embodied a young, wistful woman exploring the beauty of the world for the first time. Her debut release, Heard it in a Past Life, was met with resounding critical acclaim due to its unique nature and experimental style, containing tracks such as ‘Light On’ and ‘Retrograde’. Her next album, Surrender, gave us a hint at Rogers’ more chaotic side, with more intense songs like ‘Overdrive’ and ‘Shatter’. Don’t Forget Me makes yet another shift, with Rogers saying, “‘If Heard it in a Past Life is air and Surrender is fire, Don’t Forget Me is earth.” 

This album represents a more confident, grown up, version of Rogers’ sound. Comfortable with her process and with herself, she has written and produced (with the help of the renowned Ian Fitchuck) a group of songs that feels like the blanket of a warm summer’s evening. Produced at the famous Electric Lady Studios in New York City, the album carries with it the whispers of the studio walls, which have listened to the likes of Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Jimi Hendrix in its 52 year history.  

The first track, ‘It Was Coming All Along’, begins with a synth based intro, reminiscent of a Bleachers production. The lyrics present us with an insight into how it feels to “adult”, the day to day anxieties that come in your 20s, where change is ever present yet inevitable, sprinkled with a sense of discomfort. “And everywhere I look around/ It seems we're always saying goodbye/ And I don't know just what to do/ I'm fine, but feel I'm breaking through”. Though this song felt as though it would have fit in well to Heard it in a Past Life, both lyrically and musically- it is a slightly more mature take on her earlier work. 

The real gems from this album come from its two singles: ‘Don’t Forget Me’ and ‘So Sick of Dreaming’. The album’s first single release, ‘Don’t Forget Me’, epitomises the feeling of witnessing those around you begin to grow and evolve at different rates. Its opening line “My friend Sally’s getting married/ And to me that sounds so scary” paints a portrait of Roger’s present, a window into her mind. It is stripped back and comes across almost as a stream of consciousness. This song sets the album apart from its predecessors, not necessarily because of its brilliance, but through its originality and earthiness. Her songwriting shines through in this less produced approach to creating, making us feel almost as though we are right there in Electric Lady with her. 

The next single, ‘So Sick of Dreaming’, showcases what my friends and I have dubbed “Fleetwood Maggie.” The rhythmic bassline and shuffling beat are clearly Fleetwood Mac influenced, and to great effect. This song makes me want to roll the windows down in the car on a warm day, sunglasses on, wind in my hair. Maybe in this cool, rainy April, this feels like a dream or distant memory, but if you close your eyes and turn on this song you may just be able to imagine it. The bridge, with its Taylor Swift inspired phone call interlude, is a surprising addition to the track, but I see it as a bit of a guilty pleasure. 

If I had to describe this album in one word, it would simply be “summer.” Don't Forget Me breaks no boundaries, smashes no ceilings, and stirs no revolutions… but this is where its beauty lies, it's a warm embrace, a reminder to slow down and savour the moment. Maggie herself said the album is best listened to as a “Sunday Driving Record” and I couldn't agree more. It would be easy to judge this album against her previous work, to dissect every lyric and note for signs of growth or regression, but I see more benefit in viewing it as a standalone piece. This really feels like an album made by Maggie Rogers, for Maggie Rogers. It stands out as a beacon of sincerity, not willing to please the masses or to chase trends- it's about Maggie staying true to herself, unapologetically and unabashedly. As though we are being granted a sneak peek into her home and mind, growing with her as she goes.