Maggie Rogers Resonates with Album 'Surrender'

by Jake Rainer Photography by Harbinger

Following the success of her 2019 debut album, Heard It in a Past Life, Maggie Rogers released her second studio album titled Surrender. With big acoustic drums, catchy guitar lines, and memorable lyrics, this new album offers a refreshing yet familiar sound both the cultured ear and the casual listener can find enjoyable.

Maggie has an innate ability for fusing genres. It shines in defying the limits of genre definition by naturally fusing fold, pop, and dance themes into an idiosyncratic mix. She was discovered in 2016 after Pharrell Williams visited a songwriting master class at NYU. She played him a demo of her song Alaska, a hybrid folk-pop production, that would go on to become one of Maggie's first hits and viral YouTube moments. 

Shortly after, while riding the intense wave of internet stardom, Maggie released her well-received EP closely followed by her debut major-label album. Amidst the applause, tours, and regular collaborations, she held strongly to her ideals and enrolled in Harvard Divinity School. Maggie believes music is a form of religion, and there is power and spirituality where people gather. She demonstrates this soul-capturing paradigm with her genre-blending talent once again throughout Surrender.

The first two tracks, Overdrive and That's Where I Am lead with crunchy, distorted bass lines, complimented by big rock drums and Maggie's signature vocal harmonies. Shatter combines indie and punk rock with 80's synthesizers, bringing a sense of nostalgia resonating with today’s pop culture. While Honey is a pure rock anthem with an undeniably catchy chorus, Different Kind of World concludes the album with an acoustic ballad and chilling guitar solo.

Maggie has a knack for rich orchestration, yet this never comes at the expense of the mix. Perhaps through her synesthetic ability to see music as colors, she blends the sound like a painter crafts a landscape. There are moments throughout Surrender where the use of reverb and atmosphere allow Rogers' visual imagery to shine. This has all the makings for an amazing live show - fans and followers can currently find Maggie Rogers on tour throughout Europe and the US.