Maggie Rogers hits the road and features on “Don't Forget Me”

In a letter announcing her third album Do not forget mesinger-songwriter Maggie Rogers says she was inspired for her latest project by creating a “younger Thelma and Louise,Using this narrative vessel to navigate her difficult personal truths. This self-exploration of wandering was a common theme for Rogers, an artist who proclaimed, “I found myself when I was going everywhere,” on her first LP. This time, she takes a metaphorical road trip into her own past as a means of escaping her troubling present.

Rogers has been making smart, semi-autobiographical pop since launching her career in 2016 with a viral moment in which she wowed Pharell with a cover of her song “Alaska” while still a student at NYU. Since then, Rogers has drawn on a wide range of influences – from the Grateful Dead to Britney Spears – as she departed from the eclectic pop of her 2019 debut. I heard it in a past lifeto the sleek, futuristic sounds of her second album Tradition. She's the rare twentysomething artist who could look equally at home playing Coachella and the Newport Folk festival.

“So Sick of Dreaming”, the second single from Do not forget me, finds Rogers ambivalent about her disappointing reality. she stands up on dates and is forced to watch her close friends live existences that “sound so scary” — getting married and in unfulfilling relationships. On album opener 'It Was Coming All Along', the 29-year-old is deep in the existential crisis of someone 'well past 22', agonizing over days of yore.

To deal with all the disappointment, Do not forget me escapes from memory and careless thoughts, sometimes even the genre you learn from. On the persistently catchy “The Kill,” she fondly recalls the heady early years of a previous relationship with intimate details like sharing “indie rock songs in the car” and her partner wearing “fresh leather.” Similarly, “If Now Was Then” is a crushing trip down memory lane as Rogers takes us back to the college days of the same relationship and reveals her regrets. On the piercing ballad “I Still Do,” Rogers sings about the pure love she once had for an ex, before admitting it's a feeling she can't let go.

For such a heavy emotional lift, the album is an easy listen, perfect for a Sunday afternoon drive. Co-produced with Ian Fitchuk (who worked to define Kacey Musgrave's career Golden Hour), Do not forget me strips down the synthetic output of the singer-songwriter I heard it in a past life and the alt-rock experimentation of 2022 Tradition to reveal a rustic, more organic-feeling pop-rock sound. Upbeat tracks like “On and On and On” and “Never Going Home” are perfectly crafted for big-voiced singers in a way that brings to mind the early work of Michelle Branch.

Meanwhile, the high-note meditative “All the Same” is raw and elemental. Against subtle acoustic touches and soothing piano notes, Rogers wails about the painful passage of time and longs for the salve of “one more kiss/One moment of bliss from a lover you've always known” before asking a tender question: “You won't Wait?” The feeling of unguarded affection sums it up perfectly Do not forget me. If he can find that kind of happiness, Rogers' journey will be worth it.