‘In The Living Room’ Single Review: Vocals Shine Where Lyrics Fade

On Oct. 8, singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers released the new single “In The Living Room.” Currently on tour for her indie-folk album “Don’t Forget Me,” released on April 12 of this year, the Grammy-nominated artist didn’t wait long to put out new material.

“In The Living Room” continues the indie style Rogers curated within her latest album, but it pushes elements of alt-rock a bit further than the folk sound that much of “Don’t Forget Me” features. That album is both a personal and imaginative scrapbook of love and friendship, centered around the nuances of caring for someone and searching for a new start, and the new single fits right in the same groove.

Producer Ian Fitchuk, who worked with Rogers on “Don’t Forget Me,” co-produced and co-wrote “In The Living Room” — which likely contributed to their stylistic similarities. Alongside Rogers, the two created a song that recounts a past love story and its failure.

The heavy guitar and drum-based instrumental pairs with clear, strong vocals to bring to life the painful memories about which Rogers sings. An electric guitar wails powerfully throughout the chorus, and the bridge builds tension to a peak of angst and vocalization distinct to Roger’s emotive style.

The ambiance reads crisp and autumnal with the pre-chorus jabbing: “Cause I remember late September / Your silhouette on blue wallpaper.”

“In The Living Room” is bold, strong, and forceful in both its vibrant percussion and cutting vocals, and it provides an enjoyable sing-along. However, the lyricism falls short compared to her recent work, and the single fails to provide her audience with any new or engaging surprises — save for her vocals, which truly shine through.

The title track of “Don’t Forget Me,” which was the album’s first release, strikes listeners with lyrics dripping in originality and feeling — and the whole album upholds that standard. Coming off a work like that, the lyrics of “In The Living Room” seem comparatively more cliché and colloquial.

In an industry that produces a lot of music about failed love attempts, the lyrics of “In The Living Room” don’t stand out. Rogers sings, “You loved me strong and you were my friend / When the world felt empty” in the second verse, and then: “But when you think of me completely / Hope it doesn’t freak you out” in the bridge. No part of the song upholds the same standard of lyricism as the countless heartbreaking lines in “Don’t Forget Me,” like the pounding “take my money, wreck my Sundays / Love me ’til your next somebody.”

Even so, Roger’s vocals shine — more so than in previous work. Her belt and intentional strain give meaning to the song where the lyrics fall short. The intentionality behind her tone and precision in vowel sounds gives the song a punk flavor that delightfully sharpens the work. She truly draws out each word to its edge.

While it provides a nice continuation of “Don’t Forget Me,” this single does not offer any new insight into Rogers as an artist. The track doesn’t showcase anything surprising or unexpected — an aspect that would have been welcome after a beautiful but very homogenous album.

Despite any shortcomings of “In the Living Room” in comparison with her other consistently high-quality work, Rogers proves her capability. She embodies an increasingly rare authenticity, continuing to offer a powerful and jammy sound that gives flare to the rather uninspired current scene of major young female artists. While less impressive from a lyrical standpoint, “In The Living Room” still succeeds in making any listener feel like dancing — around the living room.