By following up on the success of her breakout single "Alaska" with "Dog Years", NYU Clive Davis Institute alumni Maggie Rogers proves that she isn't a one-hit wonder. The track relies on the same sonic template that impressed Pharell Williams and Spotify listeners, juxtaposing Rogers' crystal-clear vocals with a refreshing blend of coffeehouse folk and electro-pop dance music.
"Dog Years" allows gives Rogers more of an opportunity to demonstrate the range of vocals, as she (once again) evokes a specific transitional experience within her life. According to Rogers' Twitter account, the track is about multiple things: 'about a day I skipped class to stay in bed and make frozen pizza with a boy I loved'; 'about dance parties in the kitchen'; 'about chocolate milk and the Tompkins Square Dog Park; 'about a thank you note'; 'about change, about loving and leaving and still loving, about trusting yourself; and 'about trusting the universe, about being a good friend and never having enough time'.
In the tradition of Vitamin C's "Graduation", "Dog Years" is marked by nostalgia for the collective blissful and treasured experience of being cocooned in college or high school - and an insistent reassurance that 'everything will be alright' upon graduation into the unknown, daunting adult world:
'And if you had a bad weekThen I'll sing you to sleepOh, and I'll be there waitingIf you start to get jadedI know things are changingBut, darling, I'm sayingI've been here all alongCome what mayI'll still stayInside your mindFor all of timeSinging, oohWe will be alrightNot in vainWe'll still stay the sameInside your mindFor all of timeSinging, oohWe will be alrightIn the afterlifeIn the afterlifeI count my time in dog years, dog years, dog years, dog years, dog yearsWe will be alright (Dog years, dog years)We will be alright (Dog years, dog years)In the afterlife (Dog years, dog years, dog years, dog years)Singing, baby, we will be alright (Dog years, dog years)We will be alrightWe will be alright'
Lyrics:
Rogers certainly has a flair for understatedly poetic lyricism ('I count my time in dog years/ Swimming in sevens/ Slow dancing in seconds') and authentic emotional honesty, which works well with her innovative and naturalistic folk-dance sonic template. I'm definitely looking out for her debut album, which will hopefully push the boundaries of her chosen aesthetic.
