How do you bandage a broken heart from the claustrophobic confines of a tour bus? According to the plan set out by Maisie Peters’ ‘The Good Witch’, you surround yourself with hitmakers, pour your sorrow into a pop song (or 15), and call it a second album.
Written last year when the singer-songwriter was “searching for balance between career highs and personal lows”, ‘The Good Witch’ cooks up a stew of campfire folk, pop-country, and synth-pop, polishing the bubblegum charm of 2021’s ‘You Signed Up For This’ in the process.
It’s no surprise to see names such as Oscar Görres, Joe Rubel and Elvira Anderfjärd scattered across the credits, because ‘The Good Witch’ sets its stall out right alongside many of their other big-name collaborators, such as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Peters’ label boss Ed Sheeran.
Watch is a total throwback to California Girls-era Perry, a bubblegum pop parade of witty songwriting readymade for the ‘stalking the ex’s socials’ stage. The fading firepit folk of Two Weeks Ago, meanwhile, wouldn’t look out of place on Sheeran’s latest, and the crowd-pleasing, karaoke classic-in-waiting Run straddles so many eras of Swift, she’ll soon be asking for a feature.
While the thumping bass of Body Better lends itself to club remixes and summer festivals, there is a persistent feeling that Peters has sold her soul to the pop ‘n’ roll devil. One of many formulaic moments, it builds up from a single note before bursting into life. On an album overstuffed with songs, you’d be forgiven for trimming the fat like a butcher and lopping off the first five or six.
Seven tracks in, the country-pop chaos of You’re Just A Boy (And I’m Kinda The Man) is where ‘The Good Witch’ gets off the ground. Built around a beat that barks up the same trees that shot Shania Twain to stardom, the album’s mission statement is hidden in plain sight as Peters cries: “I’m on a one-way trip to take over the world.”
Along with the wondrous Wendy and arena-ready BSC, ‘The Good Witch’ shines best when showcasing Peters’ storytelling. There’s no doubt ‘The Good Witch’ will send Peters off towards superstardom, although what toll the polished pop will take on her singer-songwriter soul is yet to be seen.
Maisie Peters Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sun July 09 2023 - EDINBURGH Liquid Rooms
Tue October 17 2023 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Thu October 19 2023 - LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds
Sat October 21 2023 - MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
Wed October 25 2023 - DUBLIN 3Olympia Theatre
Thu October 26 2023 - DUBLIN 3Olympia Theatre
Sun October 29 2023 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Wed November 01 2023 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Fri November 03 2023 - LONDON OVO Arena, Wembley
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