On Friday, up and coming pop sensation Maisie Peters released her second album titled The Good Witch. The new album, which was highly anticipated by fans, is full of fun, feral and vulnerable tales of what womanhood in our modern age truly feels like.
In an industry full of love songs and tales of life, it’s hard to come by something truly magical – yet Peters is on a mission to bring us something truly unique and spellbinding.
The album consists of 15 tracks, starting with the title song The Good Witch. It initially feels like a calm, melancholic song that slowly becomes more and more angry. You feel as if you’re being lured into the album, in true witchy style, then you become hexed by Peters’ rage and frustration.
The second tragic, Coming of Age, feels like the title track to your favourite coming of age movie. It’s the kind of song that plays in the credits and sums up feelings of growing up, frustration and discovering yourself.
Watch truly analyses the concept of watching your ex (or ex-friend) moving on and succeeding, but you feel stuck where they left you. You have the scars, they have the perfect life – or so it seems. In this track, Peters also pays homage to the title song off her first album You Signed Up For This;
I know I’ll get better, I’m just not better yet
Maisie Peters, You Signed Up For This, 2021
I know that I should know better
Maisie Peters, Watch, 2023
I don’t think I wanna get better
The lead single Body Better truly comes for everyones inner thoughts when watching somebody move on without them – ‘The worst way to love somebody is to watch them love somebody else’. It’s the feeling we never want to admit – comparing ourselves to their next partner. In the music video, Peters gives us true witchy voodoo vibes hinting at the album title The Good Witch.
In track 5, Maisie introduces us to the most heartbreaking song Want You Back, perhaps influenced by her inspiration – Taylor Swift. Hearing this song at 8:00am on a Friday morning truly broke me. Every time I listen to this song a tiny tear falls down my cheek (I wish I was joking). It’s the perfect representation of desperation – wanting someone no matter how bad they were for you.
The Band and I is a fun, incredible and emotional homage to her band. It feels like the kind of song you’d blast through your car speakers with the windows drown as you aimlessly drive around chasing adventure. It’s Peters’ version of Long Live – despite hardships and heartbreak, she’ll always have her band.
Let’s move on to the incredible You’re Just A Boy (And I’m Kinda The Man). I was lucky enough to hear this song live in Leicester on her Road to Brixton tour. It feels like an angrier yet more optimistic version of Boy from the album You Signed Up For This. Peters is telling him that maybe he’s just a boy, but she really is the man.
You were my best friend, my shoulder to lean on
Maisie Peters, You’re Just A Boy (And I’m Kinda The Man), 2023
But you pushed me out quicker than it took me to put my jeans on
And maybe you’re lost, and just can’t see what you have
But I’m not gonna wait, no, I know better than that
Lost The Breakup, the second hit single from the album, truly depicts Peters in her revenge era. The bridge in particular is such a real illusion of what we all fantasise about saying when we bump into an ex. Watch the music video here:
If you’re a fan of Peter Pan, or Disney in general, Wendy will ruin your day in the best way. Maisie compares her life to Peter and Wendy – choosing between a fantasy life that she wants versus another life that she needs. This song truly may be the best on the album – the perfect depiction of how it feels to be a young woman;
Take the hand and go with him
Maisie Peters, Wendy, 2023
Be the clock that he watches
Wait until he gets bored and wanders back to the forest
Lose the world that you live in
Pretend that it’s that you wanted
It’s a life I could have, I know
Track 10, Run, is a fun yet angry song about a man who promises the world and you just know it’s too good to be true. There are so many juxtapositions of magical and gut-wrenching aspects of a relationship like this iconic line ‘I’ve seen some flags but the reddest one is if a man says that he wants you in his life forever – RUN!’
Next up we have Two Weeks Ago and this song truly broke her fans when Peters released it a month ago. The song has simpler production to the first two singles and does an incredible job emphasising pain, frustration and regret.
This song is the epitome of bittersweet – I wrote it post-heartbreak when I just kept wishing it was two weeks ago. It’s about the drive to the airport when you can’t stop crying, and wishing you’d told someone how you felt when you felt it.
Maisie Peters via Instagram
Now onto one of the most insane and feral songs I have heard in a long time – BSC. This is one of my favourite songs of the album. It’s so relatable for anyone who’s felt such an intense level of anger. Peters describes the song as I’m Trying (Not Friends) delusion older sister because, this time, she’s not holding back. If you need a song to scream, this is your go-to.
Therapy is a song about someone who has been so damaged by her past. She was slowly healing, then someone comes along and f*cks it all up – now you’re back to square one. This is becoming a fan-favourite because it’s just oh-so-relatable.
I was abandoned, but you swore that you’d be there for me
Maisie Peters, Therapy, 2023
Carefully
You touched me, now your touch will last for centuries
In There It Goes, Maisie makes yet another reference to a track, Love Him I Don’t off her first album. Once upon a time their love was ‘coming up roses, kicking up snow’ but now it’s ‘covered in snow’. Perhaps she’s hinting at having to bury the hurt in her past and truly letting it go. The production is upbeat, but in an anxiety-inducing way. We’re almost forced to feel just how Maisie does.
Last but by no means least – History of Man. This song is nothing like I expected it to be when I first saw the title. I was expecting something upbeat and powerful – but instead I feel heartbroken. I have 100% just discovered my new favourite song. The most beautiful thing is the ending of this song melodically correlates with the start of the first song The Good Witch. Peters is bringing the album full circle, making you want to stream it all over again.
On The Good Witch release day, she played Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage and has sold out shows all across Europe this year. It’s only up from here for Maisie and we cannot wait to watch her keep growing.
Yes, maybe I’ve been a little biased as a huge Maisie fan, but can you blame me? If you haven’t already streamed The Good Witch, head over to your favourite streaming service now. We couldn’t recommend it enough.
with love,
becky
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