New Music: Maggie Rogers - Fallingwater

From the 'Pharell discovery moment' of Alaska through to finding herself playing Glastonbury and singing alongside Mumford & Sons at another major festival, life has been a bit of a whirlwind for Maggie Rogers. The last we all heard from her was in September 2017 when she released a Split Stones and announced that the tune represented her saying goodbye for a little while. It seems that 'a little while' was only that. Because eight months later Maggie is ready to go all over again with a lovely new song Fallingwater. 

Produced together with Rostam Batmanglij, Fallingwater isn’t going to shock existing fans - she hasn't returned with a screaming heavy rock tune - instead it retains the warm, relaxed ambience that was prominent on her debut EP. The song itself comes from Rogers journey over the last 2 years and her transition from college to where she is now: “It’s a song that celebrates rapid change and how simultaneously scary and electric it can feel. It’s about giving everything and not knowing if it’s enough. It’s about the power of vulnerability – a cry for help and a battle cry at the same time.”

Although she’s only been away for a short time (and no doubt she’s been busy creating in that time, not just sitting round eating Ben & Jerry's and watching non stop Netflix) it’s good to have her back.

Maggie Rogers - Fallingwater

New Music: Maggie Rogers - Split Stones

It’s amazing how far one moment and one song can take you. Since Maggie Rogers was thrust into the limelight with that Pharrell discovery video and her song Alaska, it has been pretty non-stop. At the end of 2016 she was on many a tip list (including my own Ones to Watch list) and has followed it through with an excellent EP, sold out headline shows and plenty of festival slots. 

Although I’ll never tire of listening to the EP, there does come a point where there has to be something else new and it comes today in the form of live favourite Split Stones. The two things I particularly love about this song are the unusual looped beats mixed with the sound of heavy breath (the sort of patterns and ideas someone like Bjork would adopt) and the way the song rises to form exultant crescendos, leaving you feeling high, as Maggie sings of grabbing life and moving ‘like you had something to lose’.

Together with Split Stones Maggie has put a letter on line (here) that talks of the track representing a parting gift, which at first seems odd given her limited recorded output so far, but the letter goes further: “This is me saying goodbye for a little while. Here’s to the end of the beginning and the start of everything else.” I translate this as “I am going to go and complete a full album now.” Let’s hope so.

Maggie Rogers - Split Stones

New Music: Maggie Rogers - Alaska (Sofi Tukker Remix)

I can’t remember the last time I posted a remix on Breaking More Waves, it’s something that I just don’t seem to do that often these days. Here’s one I couldn’t pass on though. After all, at the back end of last year I named, as I always do in late November / early December, ten artists that I believed were Ones to Watch for 2017. Two of those artists were Maggie Rogers and Sofi Tukker*. So, when the two of them came together musically, there was an inevitably that the results were going to find their way on to this little corner of the internet.

So what’s the output? The results are perhaps not the pounding, riffing, weird-out, hip banger that you might expect from Sofi Tukker**. Instead they’ve taken the chilled soulful coolness of the original and whisked it off to Ibiza for a mellow sunset moment. Imagine a classy seafront bar / terrace, a cocktail and everything being right with the world, whilst this loops on repeat in the background. That'll do nicely.

*Footnote: The 10 artists I selected as Ones to Watch for 2017 were Skott, Maggie Rogers, LANY, Hazel English, Seramic, Dave, Sofi Tukker, Jerry Williams, Cabbage, Liv Dawson.

**Footnote 2: Keep an eye and ear out for Sofi Tukker’s forthcoming single out later this week. It’s very sweary, very good and you definitely won’t be hearing it on the radio. 

Maggie Rogers - Alaska (Sofi Tukker Remix)

New Music: Maggie Rogers - On And Off

With debut EP Now That The Light Is Fading due soon, the creator of my favourite song of 2016 and one of my Ones to Watch 2017 (as well as, it seems, virtually everyone else’s tip) Maggie Rogers brings something different to the table with new song On And Off. Whilst there’s still the charismatic vulnerability to the lyrics as she sings of emotional instability and having someone there to help her stay afloat: “When I feel like I’m drowning and then I see you, it’s okay, it’s okay, I'm okay, I’m alright again,” this one is all looped electronics, bass throbs and subtle production tricks that is about as far away from her folk roots as its possible to get. Probably most of us need someone to help us stay grounded from time to time, but music itself, when you connect to them, can sometimes be an anchor as well. Maybe this one, or one of Maggie’s other songs could take you to that place? 

Maggie hits Breaking More Waves homeland of the UK at the end of February for 2 sold out shows at Omeara. If you haven't got a ticket, keep an eye on my Twitter feed @BMWavesBlog where I'm sure I'll be posting some words or pictures from one of the shows. In exciting news I can also confirm she'll be supported at the gig by Mosa Wild who you can read about by clicking here.

Maggie Rogers - On And Off

My Favourite 5 Singles Of 2016

You’re not a proper music obsessive unless you do some end of year lists – right? Well, I certainly have plenty of them, and the big one, my end of year album list, will be published here right at the end of the year with 25 albums, one posted each hour from midnight to midnight on New Year’s Eve, each one with a few accompanying thoughts.

For now, here are my 5 favourite singles of 2016. There’s no messing here, no written commentary, just the music. This is my final post of the year until everything related to the 25 post marathon on New Year's eve. Have a good Christmas.

1. Maggie Rogers – Alaska



2. She Drew The Gun – Poem



3. Sofi Tukker – Drinkee



4. The XX- On Hold



5. Anteros – Breakfast

Ones to Watch 2017 #1 - Maggie Rogers

The first One to Watch for 2017 on Breaking More Waves is Maggie Rogers. 2016 has been a year when there’s been a whole host of new music that has had fantastic production, but much of it has been somewhat lacking in substance in the song department – all that old-fashioned stuff like great melodies, hooks and tunes to draw you in. 

Maggie Rogers' Alaska has all that stuff. It’s a beautifully produced piece of work, but there’s a real quality to the song as well. Not only that, but alongside the delightful airiness and purity of the vocals, there’s a real soul there. Alaska sounds like the work of someone who is really in love with music. It is, without question, my single of 2016.

A quick recap for those of you who still haven’t heard of Maggie. Her breakthrough moment came when Pharrell Williams attended a masterclass at New York’s Clive Davis Institute and met Maggie, who played him Alaska. He was immediately blown away, being moved virtually to tears, calling the song and her talent ‘singular’. The video of that moment (which is really rather powerful – seeing a major star being so humbled) subsequently went viral and a few months further on, Maggie had signed a deal with a major record label. You can see the video here if you missed it the first time round.

Since that video the big question has been can Maggie live up to the hype that Alaska has created? The answer came very recently when she released her second song Dog Years. Inevitably it couldn’t quite match the radiance of Alaska, but what it did demonstrate was that Maggie Rogers has definite talent. This second release, a warmly mellow pop tune about trusting the universe, being a good friend and never having enough time is just rather lovely and so on the basis of these two songs, she has to be one of Breaking More Waves Ones to Watch for 2017.

Maggie Rogers - Alaska (Video)



Maggie Rogers - Dog Years

New Music: Maggie Rogers - Alaska (Video)

You know how in the retail sector Christmas seems to get earlier and earlier each year? Well there’s the potential for that to happen with Breaking More Waves Ones to Watch for 2017 list. Every year I seem to go through a cycle of growing excitement to see who tipster types are selecting as picks for the year ahead, then come the deluge of lists, and by the end of it all I’ve reached saturation to the point of boredom and annoyance. By January you’ll probably finding me stomping down the streets shouting “I really couldn’t give a sh*t about who you think I should be listening to this year.” But right now I’m pretty excited for it all. Bring on the BBC Sound of List and all the others I say. But before it all kicks off I’ll be bringing Breaking More Waves own tips for 2017 from around mid-November. I could actually publish it right now, but maybe that's too early?

Although I couldn’t possibly say who I’ll be featuring, Maggie Rogers has got to be a firm contender at this point. OK, she may only have one song out there right now on audio streaming services (ignoring her folky efforts that you can find on You Tube), but it’s one of my songs of the year. Alaska has soul, grace, restraint, beauty and melodies that seem to float in the air. OK, I think I have to correct myself; it isn’t just one of my songs of the year, but it is my song of the year.

Since I last wrote about Maggie she’s signed to a major record label (Polydor) and there’s an EP in the offing. But first there’s a long overdue video for Alaska. Don’t be put off by the first few seconds which find Maggie going for what looks like a rather dull walk in the countryside – there’s frolics in the forest and snogging to come. 

All the feelings and all the movement are present here.

Maggie Rogers - Alaska (Video)

New Music: Introducing - Maggie Rogers

There’s been a hell of a buzz on line about Alaska by Maggie Rogers, with her Facebook likes going into overload following a Pharrell Williams masterclass at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute where Williams was blown away by the tune calling it and her talent ‘singular’. Watch the normally expressionless face of Pharrell as he finds something connecting with him in a big way below (from around the 18.15 mark). It's worth watching just to see an old stager of the music industry being completely moved by something.



Maggie started out as a folk musician and banjo player but having taken time out in France she suddenly found the fire and energy of dance music. You can hear both elements in Alaska. It finally got a fully polished release on Soundcloud yesterday and has already picked up 200k plays. It is a truly is a beautiful piece of pop music that’s worth every bit of hype it’s getting. There are elements of someone like Beth Orton in the verses but with a celestial pop chorus - it's subtle and yet easily accessible. If you’ve read a number of posts on Breaking More Waves you’ll probably be able to guess that this one was going to grab me hook line and sinker. Just like Pharrell. It has.

Maggie Rogers - Alaska