Maisie Peters is currently 23 and living her best life. Born in West Sussex, England in the year 2000 with her twin sister Ellen, Maisie has been writing songs since the age of nine. She would upload YouTube videos of her original songs and going busking on the streets until she was signed by Atlantic Records where she recorded 2 EPs. She eventually left the label and instead got signed by Ed Sheeran's label, Gingerbread Man Records. Maisie has been taking the world by storm with her incredibly catchy pop-bops and relatable songwriting ever sense, releasing her debut album "You Signed Up For This" in 2021. Since then, Maisie has been continuously releasing singles and now we have her second album in our hands - "The Good Witch".
TRACKLIST
The Good Witch
Coming of Age
Watch
Body Better
Want You Back
The Band and I
You're Just a Boy (and I'm Kind of the Man)
Lost the Breakup
Wendy
Run
Two Weeks Ago
BSC
Therapy
There It Goes
History of Man
"The Good Witch" is pop singer/songwriter Maisie Peters sophomore album which released in June of 2023. If you love heartfelt lyrics and nostalgic soundscapes, you'll absolutely love Maisie Peters. She has the songwriting abilities of Taylor Swift and the instrumental craftmanship of Ed Sheeran. There is no set-in-stone genre to place this album in; I feel it has mixtures of mainstream-pop, 80's synth-pop, folk and singer-songwriter. The album is about growing up, falling in love, getting your heart broken, experiencing life in your early twenties and following your dreams. So if you're up to the emotional rollercoaster ride that is "The Good Witch", let's start listening!
Track #1 - The Good Witch
The album begins with the title track, "The Good Witch", which acts as an introduction to the rest of the album. Maisie describes where she was in her life while she was writing this album within this track. She was 22, recording at Kings Cross and still learning her way through life. "The Good Witch" is her coming of age story; she has fallen in love, she has gotten her heartbroken; she has discovered her dreams and has grown, but is still the girl who doesn't like to play the black keys on the piano. The whole last minute of this song consists of cenematic music intertwined with audio from videos and voice recordings within Maisie's adventures while writing this album.
Track #2 - Coming of Age
As I mentioned before, this album is Maisie's "Coming of Age" album where she begins to understand herself as a person. In our 20's, we come to a lot of realizations about ourselves. Sometimes we look back on the past and think, "why did I do that? I would never do something like that now". Track 2, "Coming of Age" describes this scenario, particularly when it comes to relationships. Maisie finds herself wondering why it took her so long to realize that the problem was never her, but rather the person she was with at the time.
Track #3 - Watch
"Watch" was the first song Maisie wrote for "The Good Witch". This particular song leans more towards an early 2000's pop punk vibe which is a sound that Maisie has touched base with before in her incredible song, "Cate's Brother" which was written around the same time as this song and released as a single last year, but didn't make it on this album. "Watch" is about having an ex that moves on easily while you just sit and watch them be happy but you can't help but still have feelings.
Track #4 - Body Better
"Body Better" is the lead single for this album, and one of my favorites. Filled with reverb, synths, guitar and a 80's beat, it impossible for me to sit still while listening to this song. I'm up dancing around and singing along like I'm performing in front of a crowd of 50,000 people. The lyrics touch on the struggles and thoughts that come with insecurity. These are the anxious questions that run through your head when someone you loved leaves you for another girl. You start to wonder what is wrong with you and why you weren't good enough for them, though the truth is they weren't good enough for you.
Track #5 - Want You Back
"Want You Back" is lyrically one of the best songs on this album. It talks of wanting back an ex even though they've broken your heart. A theme within a lot of the breakup songs Maisie writes is knowing that the person she dated was bad for her, but still has trouble letting go of them. It's hard to fall out of love with someone, even if they did you dirty in the worst possible ways. Described as her saddest and most personal song, "Want You Back" is the All Too Well of "The Good Witch". If you love a song that feels like a listening to a story and makes you cry, this is for you.
Track #6 - The Band and I
Maisie describes "The Band and I" as a song that gives the feeling of making music a sound. She wrote this song about her experiences while touring with Ed Sheeran in Europe as well as her own tour in North America on a twelve-bed bus, gaining close relationships with her band members and the euphoric feeling of performing live in front of a crowd. She also says it's a song for the fans, and how "if we're living the dream, then I hope we never wake up."
Track #7 - You're Just a Boy (and I'm Kind of the Man)
As a fan of country music and female legends like Shania Twain and Dolly Parton, Maisie wanted to make a fun song that is a tribute to her favorite strong-headed country artists. This song is definitely a female empowerment song that has hints of 90s country-pop in it's instrumentation. "You're the man" is used as an expression when someone does something that is worth praising. In this song, Maisie refers to herself as "the man" and says she's on a one way trip to take over the world, but the person she is in love with is just a boy; implying that he's too immature to be a fit for her.
Track #8 - Lost the Breakup
"Lost the Breakup" is the second single that released before this album. Starting with just a TikTok that featured a snippet of this song, "Lost The Breakup" went viral before the full song was even released. It's an incredibly catchy and nostalgic pop song that brings heartbroken hopeless romantics confidence to pick themselves up and move on from the past. One day, that person you used to love won't be a thought in your mind anymore. You'll be living your best life while they sit and wonder why they let you go.
Track #9 - Wendy
"Wendy" uses the classic fairytale story of "Peter Pan" and uses it to help describe a relationship that never positively progresses. Maisie sings, "behind every lost boy, there's always a Wendy". In society, if a man is loses himself, his girl is expected to be the one to put him back on the right path. "But What About Wendy?", Maisie asks as she explains that you could either be stuck in Neverland where nothing ever grows or changes, or you can make the hard decision to take your own path in life without your "lost boy".
Track #10 - Run
"Run" is soon going to serve as the fourth single of this album, with a music video releasing on June 30th. This song has a very different vibe than the other songs on this album. It's very percussion forward and is inspired by 90's pop similar to Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani. "Run" is about all the red flags that you should avoid when talking to a guy, like them telling you they love you after only knowing you for a couple days kind of red flags. Maisie warns you by giving examples of her own personal experiences.
Track #11 - Two Weeks Ago
"Two Weeks Ago" is a sad girl piano ballad that embodies the same kind of sadness as "Want You Back". It's a soft song but the emotion builds throughout and it just might bring a tear to your eye. It's about reminiscing on a moment in time where everything was perfect, but it brings you sadness knowing you can never go back and relive it again. It's crazy how much life can change in such a short amount of time.
Track #12 - BSC
Short for "Bat Shit Crazy", this is probably the most unhinged song on this album. There's a constant flow of lyrics and yelling in the background during the chorus. This song is basically a big "F-U" to anyone who has ever broken Maisie's heart. You thought she was sweet and fine with you hurting her? It may seem like it on the outside, but in this song she admits to be being "mother-fucking bat shit crazy". If you don't want all the bad things you've done to come out in lyrics within Maisie's very personal songs, then don't be a bad person.
Track #13 - Therapy
The perfect song after listening to "BSC" is "Therapy". This song is also one of my personal favorites on this album. The soundscape just completely takes over your body; the groove and melody will captivate you and it's definitely a song I've had on repeat. "Therapy" describes loving someone who drives you so crazy to the point that you have to go to therapy for help.
Track #14 - There It Goes
"There It Goes" has the best chorus on this album in my opinion. It's just so incredibly crafted in a way that you can feel the music grooving within yourself. The bass line is the star of the show as the melody and rhythm take you through a euphoric journey. Although this song is also about a breakup, it sounds like a sense of relief and finding peace within yourself when you can finally let go of all the things that happened in the past. It's a great song to put an end to the era that is "The Good Witch".
Track #15 - History of Man
We're finally here with the closing song, "History of Man". Just like how the album started with "The Good Witch", this song pulls you through an emotional cenematic experience, like it's the song they're playing during the credits at the end of a movie, if the movie was the stories we're experiencing throughout this album. This song is simple, yet beautiful as Maisie uses references to historical places and mentions stereotypical, clueless mannerisms that men are known for when they're unknowingly breaking their lovers heart. "I tried to rewrite it but I can't, it's the history, the history of man".
I hope you enjoyed listening to "The Good Witch" with me, because I am absolutely in love with this album. Maisie has such a way with words. She's able to write lyrical stories that are genuine and raw, and it makes you feel like the songs are meant for you. Her voice is so soft and sweet that it is calming to listen to her sing. She has diversity in her style and sound so anyone can find a song they like and relate to. I believe Maisie Peters is one of the most underrated artists of our generation and she deserves to be heard. "The Good Witch" will easily become one of my favorite albums to be released this year, if not one of my favorite albums of all time.
My Personal Ranking:
[UPDATED AFTER MY 100th LISTEN]
Note that I love every single one of these songs and I wish they all could be #1.
#1 - There It Goes
#2 - Body Better
#3 - Watch
#4 - History of Man
#5 - The Good Witch
#6 - You're Just a Boy (and I'm Kinda the Man)
#7 - Therapy
#8 - Want You Back
#9 - Lost the Breakup
#10 - Wendy
#11 - Run
#12 - BSC
#13 - Two Weeks Ago
#14 - The Band and I
#15 - Coming of Age
Written By Kaitlyn Nicole
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.