In an age where those with more than ten million monthly listeners on Spotify are considered ‘mainstream’ by default, my ears can be known to tune out. However, since her second album, ‘Surrender’, the uber-successful Maggie Rogers has had me aboard for the ride.

Now, the sweet, smooth vocals of the GRAMMY award-nominated songwriter/producer returns with her stellar third record, ‘Don’t Forget Me’. So, yes, while Rogers might not fall within a genre I’d regularly listen to, I jumped at the chance from Chuff Media to review this new pop offering*.

Since her breakthrough EP, ‘Now That The Light Is Fading’ in 2017, Rogers has gone from strength to strength, rising in popularity and being hailed as an artist to continue watching. Plus, with the backing of major tastemakers such as Billboard, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and even more, the solo musician comes with a flurry of credentials to boot.

As mentioned, it was her sophomore album, ‘Surrender’, that really struck me. ‘Want Want’ and ‘That’s Where I Am’ were rinsed rather quickly after first spinning them, so I knew I would devour these freshly dropped ten tracks this April. Rogers’ raw yet refined, almost country-pop seems to appeal to the part of me that enjoys those Sheryl Crow classics from decades gone by, that my Dad (the metal fan himself, yep) would actually play a bit of when I was young. That style can certainly be detected on tracks such as the previously released single ‘So Sick of Dreaming’, and ‘The Kill’. Both of which straddle a HAIM-esque border, too, evidencing exactly why Maggie Rogers is so cool by my ears’ standards.

At its core, this album is a collection of wistful stories-turned-tunes for reflective, melancholy souls with their heads in the clouds. Sparkly songs designed to pique the interests of every mood you might be in, if you will. Or to play on your desire to lift the page of a novel. The opener, ‘It Was All Coming Along’, oozes these blissful harmonies, serving a strong start to proceedings. Then, you soon get the addictive, electronic, old-school style of the picked strings on ‘Drunk’ — one of my favourites. These techniques give the illusion of synths and, again, those nostalgic vibes creep in.

Meanwhile, there are some pure piano segments, which pepper the record with a folky nature. And if you’re looking for sheer catchiness, ‘On & On & On’ will have you chanting and belting out the lyrics in no time. It all ends with the title track — AKA the first single of the campaign — so there’s a full-circle aspect to the conclusion.

Grab your earphones or plug in your speakers, and get ready for the many upbeat bops sewn in among a series of more sombre notes. Right here, you’ve Maggie Rogers, once again, doing as she does best.

If you only download one track, let it be: ‘The Kill’

*With thanks to Chuff Media for the advanced stream access to the album.