Album Review: ‘Don’t Forget Me’ by Maggie Rogers

The album opens with the funky guitar and drums of ‘It Was Coming All Along’, which seems to be about a love interest that for a short while makes you feel better. “My world’s a honey shade of blue” Rogers sings in the chorus – referring to the fact that she feels happy, commonly associated with the colour yellow, rather than sad. In the second verse, Rogers states that how she feels might “sound existential”, but that she feels there is potential in this relationship. The song’s outro is mostly instrumental, ending with the title lyric one more time before fading out. It is the perfect track for a road trip in the spring and sets the tone for this album right away.

‘Drunk’ is the second track on the album and again opens with the strumming of the guitar with drums added as soon as Rogers starts singing. It has a typical indie rock sound and tells the tale of being drunk in love with someone. The raspy vocals add to the desperation and feeling of intoxication described in this track. “Nobody’s gonna tell me it’s not right” Rogers sings in the bridge, before stating that it goes “on and on and on…”. Rogers seems to be ignoring some bad signs as her affection has made her see the world through rose-tinted glasses. 

Moving on to the first single released for this album, ‘So Sick Of Dreaming’, which goes in quite a different direction. The song sounds like it was inspired by country music, using the guitar and percussion to imitate the feeling of being in a romantic setting in the Wild West. “I’m so sick of dreaming” Rogers sings in the chorus. The entire track talks about this ‘cool person’ who “cruises on the bridge in their Cadillac” and “walks around the city with the sun in their back”, but who will just have to live without Rogers as she refuses to keep reaching for someone who is not worth it anyway. This becomes especially clear when, after the second chorus, the song is interrupted by a voice memo, where Rogers talks about how this particular guy stood her up. 

‘The Kill’ opens with more guitar strumming and sounds quite upbeat at first, until one listens carefully to the lyrics. “One of these days I’m gonna wake up smiling, one of these days I’m gonna cry” Rogers sings right at the start. The longest track on the album, it takes a nostalgic look at a relationship come and gone, looking back on both the ups and downs. It talks about how both were going in for the kill and the relationship therefore not working out. Everyone who has ever gone to a breakup can surely relate to the frustration of wanting something to work out while knowing it won’t. Like the rest of the album, this feels like the soundtrack to a coming-of-age film. 

The fifth track on the album, ‘If Now Was Then’, is another nostalgic track. The song looks back not on a relationship that was, but on one that could have been. Rogers’s distinctive, ethereal vocals shine through here, evoking emotions of the loss of love – even though nothing ever happened. “It’s been a couple years and we locked eyes across the room” Rogers sings in the second verse. Both of them find themselves dating someone else but cannot seem to let go of past feelings. Rogers sings about how if “now was then”, she would act on her feelings, but she “can’t take it back”, clearly feeling regret over missing out on something that could have been beautiful. 

On ‘I Still Do’ Rogers moves the album in an entirely different direction, moving away from the indie pop sound to perform a piano ballad about a break-up. “How far can you bend before you break it all someday?” she sings, stating how one can’t keep trying and trying when something isn’t working, as it will only hurt more in the end. Despite this, Rogers still feels love for this person. It’s a haunting little interlude, a breather from the upbeat tracks where the vocals are the highlight. 

And immediately, it’s time for what can be deemed the grooviest track on this album, ‘On & On & On’. Right from the first second, this makes one want to get up and dance and sing along to the chorus when Rogers sings “It goes on and on and on when you hear this song”. The track talks about a person Rogers has moved on from, but who is still thinking about calling her up, even though they treated her poorly. It tells a great message of knowing your self-worth and cutting out someone who has hurt you in the past. 

‘Never Going Home’ seems to talk about life on the road, with Rogers describing getting ready to go on stage and looking for someone near the bar. It falls in line with the rest of the album in terms of its sound and themes. The instrumental before the bridge heavily stands out here. This track is followed by ‘All The Same’ which is a lot softer. Rogers’ vocals are backed up only by the guitar and piano. The song talks about how throughout a relationship, things do not seem to change despite the time passed. “Won’t you wait one more day” she sings, hoping that things might eventually become different. 

Finally, the album concludes with its title track and previously released single. Like several other tracks on this record, it looks back on a relationship. In this case, it talks about the legacy one leaves behind through their relationship with another. It is an adorable love song set against the backdrop of more guitars and percussion, asking the other person to “don’t forget me” when “it’s time to leave”. This lyric especially makes it fit perfectly at the end of the entire thing – almost like Rogers is asking her listeners not to forget her. 

Knowing that this album was written two songs a day, in chronological order, it makes sense how well everything fits together. For an album that was written in the colder days of the year, it sounds like it was made for spring and summer – just as Rogers intended. The record has a warmth to it, a feeling of imperfection which is exactly what makes it perfect. Get in your car, go on a road trip, and blast this entire record – it is what it was made for.