As the opening act for Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS World Tour”, artist Chappell Roan is skyrocketing to popularity. Through her debut album, the Missouri-born singer demonstrates serious popstar potential with fourteen tracks of musical mastery. I would like to cement myself as an OG fan with a review of her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
Track 1: “Femininominon”
Roan opens the album with a heartbreaking ballad of a first verse lamenting the hopelessness of online love. After giving her listeners about 45 seconds to grieve with her, a deep base and crescendoing synth beat introduce the most iconic chorus you have ever heard. Critics have called it a jarring transition, but I think it is a theatrical, energy-giving piece that does wonders in displaying Roan’s versatility and emotional range. I have been robbed of multiple Grammy awards for the performances I give while singing this song.
Track 2: “Red Wine Supernova”
In another up-beat pop track, Roan hilariously tells a story of fresh, lustful love. Between witty innuendos, she supports the song with a bouncing synth beat and layered harmonies. Released as a single in May of 2023, this song was my first taste of Roan’s music, and I was instantly addicted to her contagious energy.
Track 3: “After Midnight”
In this third piece, Roan maintains light, joyful energy while broaching into more meaningful topic matter. She sings about feeling societal shame for letting go and having fun, with a heavier underlying narrative about her fear of disappointing her parents as a queer person in a small town.
Track 4: “Coffee”
Roan completely discards the liveliness of the previous tracks in this softly-sung piano ballad. Through a heartbreaking narrative about the pain of moving on, Roan gives a first taste of her deeper, more intimate storytelling.
Track 5: “Casual”
I would like to issue an official apology to anyone who has been unfortunate enough to drive in my proximity as I belt this song in my car. “Casual” loses the timidness of the last track to form an emotional power ballad for the ages. Roan sings about being in a relationship with someone who tries to write off her love as casual, when what she feels is so much deeper than that. At first, she tries to be a “chill girl”, desperately clinging to the idea that her lover will change, but the song culminates with the heartbreaking realization that she has to leave because her lover never will alter their behavior.
Track 6: “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”
Here, Roan pulls a dramatic mood switch back to her confident, upbeat style. After the heartbreak in “Casual,” Roan returns to the horrors of the dating scene, saying she needs to lose the “hyper mega bummer boys” to find a “super graphic ultra modern girl like me.” Roan proudly declares that she is done minimizing herself for others and putting time and effort into relationships with people who refuse to do even the bare minimum.
Track 7: “HOT TO GO!”
A crowd favorite at Chappell Roan concerts, “HOT TO GO!” has a synth-pop sound that’s impossible not to dance to. With a dance routine built into the chorus, this song is perfect for every dance party.
Track 8: “My Kink is Karma”
While I knew most of the songs on this album prior to writing this article, this is one of the few that I listened to for the first time only recently. The beat drops are unbelievably satisfying, and so is the narrative. Roan sings about finding joy in the downfall of an ex who did her dirty while giving a performance a la Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally.” In a word, it’s orgasmic.
Track 9: “Picture You”
In another ballad, “Picture You,” Roan sings slowly and emotionally, but this time does not shy away from her own voice. She lets her emotional depth shine through with powerful vocals and a simple underlying beat.
Track 10: “Kaleidoscope”
In another slow piece, Roan writes of a changed dynamic in her relationship with her best friend after crossing a line of intimacy. She guarantees her permanent friendship, if not more, likening her multifaceted, ever-changing love to a kaleidoscope. While thematically strong, I think this is one of her weaker-sounding songs on the album.
Track 11: “Pink Pony Club”
We all know the classic story of a wannabe star moving to the big city to find fame. Roan perfectly subverts this trope with a song about a small-town girl leaving home in Tennessee to become a stripper at the Pink Pony Club in Santa Monica. The casualness with which Roan talks about owning her feminine sexuality is so refreshing to listen to.
Track 12: “Naked in Manhattan”
“Naked in Manhattan” is a song about the excitement of queer experimentation and the thrill of being vulnerable with a partner. Roan sings: “Touch me, baby, put your lips on mine/ Could go to hell but we’ll probably be fine.”
Track 13: “California”
After leaving her hometown to pursue her music career in California, Roan sings about how her love for making music is being overwhelmed by the weight of letting down those who support her. This track is immensely personal for Roan, as she was dropped by her label after not generating enough initial success with her first few songs.
Track 14: “Guilty Pleasure”
The perfect way to end this album, Roan ties together themes of sexuality, shame, love, and lust in “Guilty Pleasure.” Roan seamlessly flows between a soft acoustic intro and a funky synth chorus.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a collection of anthems of femininity, queerness, and shamelessness that feels healing to listen to. Roan serves up a track for each and every mood, so there is always some piece of this album playing on the soundtrack of my life. Though I will admit that a few of the songs can sound repetitive, it is exactly the kind of stuff I want to hear over and over again. For me, this is truly an album with no skips.
