Published by Mason Oldridge, 22 July 2022
Singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers is back with her second album, though chances are you’ve never heard of her. With this new release, she’s gaining more mainstream attention… and fully deserves it.
Surrender is a female pop album with a difference: it is built upon rock music. Singles That’s Where I Am and Want Want are the standouts of the record, offering up pounding drums and grinding distortion.
Horses is a truly beautiful song with emotional vocals delivered over a simple drum beat. Be Cool catches attention with its synth opening and Shatter instantly grips with its immediate distortion and constant energy throughout, courtesy of the electric guitar.
Begging For Rain is a nice reduction in pace as an acoustic guitar track while still maintaining some minor distortion as backing and I’ve Got A Friend blends the acoustic guitar with piano and sincere, vulnerable vocals, while Symphony is a really intriguing piece with unique high-pitched sounds.
Rogers scores a hat trick with her latest work; she is a powerful vocalist, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist. Unfortunately, the vocals overpower the production at times, but with such a broad range of instrumentation, Surrender offers strong variety demonstrating raw talent.
7/10