Let's see how much of the pop-girl stuff I was listening to last year I can get through before 2025's release schedule ramps up, and lets start with the big one (aside from BRAT). Much like everyone else, is discovered Chappell Roan last year with Good Luck, Babe!. I first heard it on Radio 1 shortly after it's release last spring and was instantly enamoured by the vintage 80's synth pop production, Chappel's stunning Kate Bush-esque falsetto, and the frankly amazing song writing. It simultaneously has a hyper-specific narrative about Chappells experience, yet captures a universal feeling of yearning and bitterness that Transends the narrative of the story. After a couple of times hearing it on the Radio, Chappell was definitely on my radar and I decided to check out here debut album from 2023.
Where Good Luck, Babe! is classy and vintage, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is campy and fun. This is encapsulated by the opening cut, Feminomenon, a play on the word phenomenon with a chanted bridge where Chappell presents herself as cheerleader chanting to her fellow lesbians about how they need a 'Feminomenon'. The super slick 80's production fires all guns blazing, making the track just a blast. This is followed up by the equally campy and bombastic Red Wine Supernova, a track where Chappel is essentially indulging in a super raunchy lesbian hookup. It features the frankly brilliant lyric "I heard you like magic, I've got a wand a rabbit!" on the bridge (the bridge as a whole is gloriously fun). After this we're hit by the funky disco jam, After Midnight - which as the title suggests is about embracing the bad decisions made after midnight in a nightclub.
As you can probably tell from the first few tracks, TRAFOFMP is the tale of Chappell's struggles with initially coming out, and then just generally the ups and downs of LA gay party culture, hookups, situationships - the whole works. The record slows down after it's initial burst of ecstatic energy with a couple of breakup ballads, Coffee and Casual. While neither of them reach the levels of class of GL,B!, they're both well written tunes with some excellent lines in them. The over the top camp then returns with the next two tunes. Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl is perhaps the most extra the album gets, with its thumping house beat and the maximalist early 2010's production and vocals. Think Madonna meets Lady Gaga. HOT TO GO! is the track that really took off after GL,B!'s success and its not hard to see why. The track is just so damn catchy. The chanted spelling chorus, Chappell's slightly unhinged vocals and the buzzing synth lines is a recipe for a banger.
Unfortunately I'm no where near as into the second half as the first. A lot of the campy fun is toned down for more 'serious' ballads. They aren't bad by any means, but the completely over the top personality that made Chappell stand out just isn't really there, and so they feel a little generic to me. I'd say the worst offender is My Kink Is Karma, a track that encapsulates everything I don't really like about modern Taylor Swift records. The production is clean and bland, yet kind of overblown; and the whole tone of the song gives off this smarmy, deflective attitude where Chappell is trying to dress up her ill feelings towards an ex as something more than just bitterness. I just don't think it works. Picture You is a pretty standard doo-wap ballad, and Kaleidoscope and California are run of the mill piano ballads.
The one saving grace of the back half is Pink Pony Club, a rollicking synth pop banger where Chappell goes on some amazing Kate Bush-esque vocal runs. The track morphs between these theatre-kid, drama school verses, to the aforementioned Hounds of Love era Kate Bush-esque pre-chorus to the anthemic chant along chorus. There's even a melodramatic 80's style guitar solo at the end for good measure. Naked In Manhattan is also keeps up the more uptempo vibes in the second half, but I will say it's the least interesting and ear grabbing of all the upbeat tracks on the album. It's a shame that the album ends with just a bit of a flop in Guilty Pleasure. Its such an underwhelming finish for the record. It feels like a bonus track to be honest, it's nowhere near as polished as the rest of the record.
About half of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is an incredibly fun and catchy pop record, the other half is merely just fine. It makes sense as some of these songs pre-date the record by years as Chappell was dropped by her first label back in 2020 - so it makes sense that the album feels a little disjointed in terms of style, tone and Chappell's overall confidence as a performer. It's still a great start for her though and I am eagerly awaiting the follow-up, because if it's anything like the quality of Good Luck, Babe!, we're in for a treat.
Top Tracks: Feminomenon, Red Wine Supernova, After Midnight, Coffee, Casual, Super Graphic Ultramodern Girl, HOT TO GO!, Pink Pony Club
7/10
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