Words by Tim Hakki @TimHakki
Those in the know will already be acquainted with Maggie Rogers as a New York folk purist with incredibly tender melodic sensibilities. Her profile rose a few months ago when YouTube footage surfaced of her music bowling over Pharrell Williams during a masterclass for her NYU cohort. The track she played him was ‘Alaska’ which was put out just this week and has already garnered half a million plays. It’s a synaesthetic paradise built from rippling textures, engulfing bass tones and her honeyed vocals. Maggie has ditched the traditional folk instruments of her earlier work to make the kind of electronic alt-folk that would jam comfortably in the ears of a Sylvan Esso fan. Usually reinvention is a gamble for new artists but she makes it as instinctive as breathing.