Reviewed by Patricia Ortiz ||
Avid social media users on Tiktok are all too familiar with “prom dress”, popularized in 2020 with the lyrics, “I’m sitting here crying in my prom dress,” after thousands of teens in their last year of high school grieved what could never be due to the pandemic.
Two years later, mxmtoon, also known as Maia, has blessed her fans with her sophomore album, “rising”. With her twenty-first birthday having come and gone, she has passed the rite of passage into adulthood and shares her experiences through this album.
But how good is her sophomore album? Today, I will be giving an analysis of the album, and at the end of this review, I will provide a few recommendations from Maia’s album.
Maia certainly knows how to provide a story—her song, “mona lisa,” serves as our introduction into an album which insists upon self-love and maturing. In contrast, her album concludes with the song “coming of age” to solidify if it was not already apparent that this is, in fact, a coming-of-age album.
While there are many songs which contain cliché phrasing, there are others which lean into the conventional and turn it into something new. Her song, “dance (end of the world)”, provides a perfect example of this by taking a song just about anyone could recognize from their childhood and reframing it to suit their needs.
“If you’re lonely and you know it
Then clap your hands and show it
You can dance, dance, dance with me”
Similarly, she does this in her concluding song, “coming of age”. Her words come across as ironic as she tells her audience that the movie is over, because this is no longer a story about her growing up anymore.
“When the lights come on and they play that song
Sayin’ it’s timem to let the curtains close
This ain’t a comin’-of-age anymore
So let the credits roll”
Both “dance (end of the world)” and “coming of age” were much stronger in getting Maia’s end of an era in her career across to her listeners than other songs in the same album. Songs such as “sad disco” and “dizzy” were pale in comparison, with the former coming across as just another catchy pop song and the latter having wonderful poetry yet falling flat because it does not go past the familiar.
There are two songs in Maia’s sophomore album which connect the change of seasons to her own growth: “florida” and “frown”. According to a fan’s interpretation of “frown” on the music website Genius, Maia reformatted a few lyrics in accordance with where she was performing the song during her world tour.
Original:
“Good Morning
The weather forecast today is showing a slight chance of sunshine and sadness
It’s another perfect day to not feel that perfect”
Revised:
“Good evening, Minneapolis! It’s a perfect day to not feel that perfect.”
“frown” provides Maia’s fans a deeper connection not only because of its ease in personalization, but also because the song is associated with a digital comic on Webtoon known as “Brass & Sass”. Currently, the song’s music video has scenes from the comic. Additionally, the lyrics of the first verse also paint a vivid picture of the seasons and how they relate to emotions.
While “florida” goes for the same angle, it has that same struggle a few of her songs have—they lean a bit too much into the cliché. In the lyrics of “florida” there is mentions of a birthday where someone turns eighty-one, but it is unclear if this is someone that Maia is grieving or if it is meant to serve as a look into the future.
Lastly, I want to talk about “scales”, “haze”, and “victim of nostalgia”. All three songs have this urgency where there is a lack of control in growing up, and the past has gone far too quickly. However, “haze” is the least effective in leaving an imprint on the listener, while the other two are more unique.
With lyrics referencing Saturn’s retrograde and the sci-fi-esque “ahh” in the background, Maia’s “scales” sets the scene for an out-of-this-world experience. During her chorus and verses, she shares a desire for peace that is difficult to achieve due to indecisiveness.
“I can’t quantify my pain
The pros and cons, they weigh the same
Feel like I’m fallin’, keep fallin’ forever”
Meanwhile, “victim of nostalgia” feels incredibly personal to Maia with lyrics that show memories that she personally misses from her childhood.
“I miss the dinner talks and walks around the block with mom and
Watching slasher films, how I would kill to feel that thrill again
Spending all my time on finish lines and don’t know why
Maybe I should call my dad (Hello?)”
In just these lyrics, Maia shows how she gets so caught up in the goals she wants to achieve, something I am sure I and many others are all too familiar with. While “victim of nostalgia” gives a push to live in the moment, “scales” provides a sense of confusion in a crazy world. “haze” is weaker in comparison to the two of them, with questions of fate just not coming across as strongly as the other two.
“I’m getting’ lost in all the choices that I’ve made
Am I decidin’ for myself or is it all just up to fate?”
Overall, Maia’s sophomore album has quite a few gems I will certainly be listening to again, while other songs will likely be forgotten. Below, I will list my personal favorites and the album’s overall review score. Scoring is based on lyrical originality, relation to theme, likelihood to listen again, and melodic vibes.
Recommended Songs (ranked from highest to lowest)
coming of age: 10/10
frown: 10/10
mona lisa: 9/10
scales: 9/10
dance: 8.5/10
victim of nostalgia: 8.5/10
Album Rating: 7/10
