Let’s Hope She Keeps Rising
Chappell Roan.
I can admit when I’m wrong; overlooking this album would’ve been a big mistake.
ometimes I hear about new artists that the youths are crazy about and I think, meh, probably a flash in the pan. The summer of ‘24 saw the rise of Chappell Roan, and I didn’t really pay much attention. I was caught up on her crazy costumes and preemptively judged that it meant she wasn’t going to be any good. What can I say? I’m old af and outlandish outfits don’t impress me anymore.
Then she was all over my discovery page on Instagram because she was playing a lot of festivals to huge crowds, and I started to think maybe she was someone worth watching. Her songs started popping up on Reels, and they were pretty catchy. Soon after, concert footage started clogging my feed and the crowd seemed ultra hyped by her.
So that’s why I decided to give her album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, a listen because after months of watching her take over my Instagram, I thought it was time. After listening to the first track, “Femininomenon”, I was all in. The only way I can explain her sound is to say if early Lady Gaga and current Taylor Swift had a baby, and then they chose Tori Amos to be the godmother, you might get a feel for what this album sounds like.
When I had listened to the album all the way through, I immediately knew I had to write about it. I haven’t felt this sort of excitement for a new artist in a very long time. There are 14 tracks on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and it was difficult to narrow down which ones I wanted to explore, but here are the top five.
“Casual”
So many people can relate to the idea of thinking you mean more to someone you’re sleeping with than you actually do, which is why “Casual” is so great. On this track, Roan easily weaves the story of complicated casual sex onto a slow tempoed melody. The listener can sense her frustration when she sings:
You said, “Baby, no attachment”
But we’re
Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you’re eating me out
Is it casual now?
Two weeks, and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach
Is it casual now?
It paints the perfect picture of situationships and their dizzying vagueness.
“After Midnight”
I like to call this type of song pop-light. It’s cute and easy to move along to, the lyrics are fun and silly, and it just makes you feel good. Unlike some of the other songs on this album, “After Midnight” isn’t super deep in terms of the lyrics. It definitely makes you want to snap your fingers along to the beat as the bass thumps along underneath it all. It’s a breezy ditty that is bound to make you dance around your bedroom.
“Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”
There’s a good portion of songs on the album that are about how shitty it is to date in this modern age. This upbeat song begins with Roan narrating the story of a terrible date she went on with a guy, and then it transforms into an anthem about leaving men behind, altogether. The chorus is the best part of the song:
Uh-huh, I’m through
With all these hyper mega bummer boys like you
Oh yeah, I need
A super graphic ultra modern girl like me
We’re hot, we’re drunk
Wow, look at her moving, baby, she’s the one
Oh yeah, I need
A super graphic ultra modern girl like me
Singing the words “hyper mega bummer boys” along with Roan on this tune makes you figure out why she wants to leave this world without them, and we’re all along for the ride.
“Kaleidoscope”
This song made me cry before I was even done listening to it; it’s so beautiful, delicate, and sad. It also made me want to relearn how to play the piano because it’s so good. Roan’s voice keeps rising in octaves, spilling over the graceful notes of the piano, singing about the complexities of love lost and trying to go back to the way things were before. It’s a heartbreaker but I can’t get enough of it.
“California”
I can imagine that it’s hard for any transplant moving to California to make a name for themselves. I’m sure the emotions of being homesick and the culture shock felt by life in Hollywood would make anyone long to move back home. The song starts with only Roan’s voice but slowly builds as the music starts in the background. The drum beats, like a heart pumping full of adrenaline, only to taper off at the end as if the ride of trying to become something has ended.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. I’ll have this album on rotation for the foreseeable future, and can’t wait to hear what Chappell Roan comes up with next.