By Kalena Reynolds | Reporter
Chappell Roan released her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” with 14 songs on Sept. 22. The 25-year-old singer from Willard, Mo., has always managed to nail the “sad synth-pop” vibe in her previously-released singles and did precisely that and more with her first album.
Chappell Roan, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, drew inspiration from her hometown roots mixed with the fluid Los Angeles culture she first experienced when she signed with a record label there at 17.
The album simultaneously breaks your heart and makes you want to dance. Between the clever hooks and ethereal synth parts, Chappell encapsulates love, sex, relationships, female empowerment and so much more in the span of 50 minutes.
The album starts with the song “Femininomenon” — an upbeat dance song about failed love and deserving more in relationships. The chorus in this song is simple, but that’s what makes it work. There is a lot of production going on in the background, and Chappell is able to find the perfect balance between the two.
The following two songs on the album are “Red Wine Supernova” and “After Midnight,” which are both straightforward dance-pop songs. They set the tone for the album as danceable but still deep, and they are both clever and unapologetically provocative.
The album also includes multiple ballads such as “Coffee” and “Casual,” which are embedded with the pains of bad relationships and longing for intimacy. While the lyrics alone are enough to make you question your whole life and everything you think you know about love, they are still catchy enough to get stuck in your head for days —arguably the best and worst part.
“Two weeks and your mom invites me to her house in Long Beach — Is it casual now?” Chappell says. “I know what you tell your friends: It’s casual if it’s casual now.”
One thing to note about this album is that it is congruent in every way, from the writing style to the production to the mic used. This album fits together piece by piece — which is a feat, considering Chappell started working on the album in 2020 with producer Dan Nigro, who also worked with Olivia Rodrigo to produce “Sour.”
Of all the songs on the album, I feel that “Pink Pony Club” best displays what the album is about. It’s the peak of what feels like it was inspired by an A24 movie song. It begins with a stripped-down, soulful piano chord progression and turns into an electric synth that runs throughout the chorus and sounds as if Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” was a sad indie-pop song.
Chappell tells the story of what it was like to move from her Midwest hometown to Los Angeles throughout the song. Shortly after she made the move, Chappell visited a gay bar, The Abbey, which ultimately inspired the song.
“God, what have you done? You’re a pink pony girl, dancing at the club,” Chappell says. “Oh, mama, I’m just having fun on the stage in my heels. It’s where I belong down at the Pink Pony Club.”
This song is bold, to say the least — an actual “weed-out song,” if you will. It is an unmistakable song that listeners will either love or hate. Its delivery is blunt, and it’s the sort of song that sets the tone for the album and its artist.
Overall, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is a daring display of womanhood and misfit musicality. It’s not your mother’s synth-pop album, but it’s a more than worthy soundtrack for crying, dancing and recklessly cutting bangs at 2 a.m.
