Show Review: Maggie Rose Shines Bright at SPACE in Chicago on 'No One Gets Out Alive' Tour

On a Saturday night at an intimate venue just north of Chicago, rising Laurel Canyon-style country-rock singer Maggie Rose vividly brought to life her 2024 album No One Gets Out Alive (which currently sits on Rolling Stone's "Best Albums of 2024" list) on her No One Gets Out Alive Tour. Proclaiming Evanston's SPACE venue as one of her favorite places to play, alongside Nashville's iconic Ryman Auditorium, Rose's incomparable vocal range and warm stage presence filled every corner of the 300-capacity room.

I was lucky enough to participate in Maggie's preshow VIP experience, which included a soundcheck of two songs ("Mad Love" and "Dead Weight"), Q&A, and a meet-and-greet with Maggie. The VIP crowd consisted of just 25 people, and Maggie spoke to every person in the room with the sincerity and easy humor used with her band and management team. I'm waiting for the day that Maggie finally hits the mainstream she deserves and I can say she signed my No One Gets Out Alive vinyl record "to Abby!" while wearing Adidas slides and conversing with my sister about gel manicures.

Many times, artists who play venues as intimate as those on the No One Gets Out Alive Tour don't invest in creating a visual aesthetic for their performances and solely rely on the auditory experience to carry the show. But with rust-colored rich vintage rugs, neutral floral arrangements, and a sweeping embroidered-flowered gown, Rose has intricately designed her stage and wardrobe with the elegance of much larger shows (what comes to my mind for comparison are the likes of Maren Morris's Humble Quest Tour and Kacey Musgraves's Deeper Well album release show at the Ryman).

The true stellar magic of the No One Gets Out Alive Tour is Maggie Rose's unparalleled vocal capability. She fills out her setlist with every track from the new album and a handful from 2021's Have a Seat, balancing between creating awe-inducing stand-out moments and finding an easy groove with her excellent band to produce an overall enjoyable listening experience. The upbeat, easy-listening portions of the set could be found in "Under the Sun," "Underestimate Me," and the rising hit "Fake Flowers," where Rose easily commanded the room while making some of her instrumental contributions to the performance with either a tambourine or her floral hummingbird-decorated guitar.

Powerful "What Are We Fighting For," honest "Saint," raw "Young," and yearning "Thinking of You" all showcased Maggie Rose's rock-ballad expertise. The shining moment in the set was Rose standing on the edge of the stage, reaching out to the audience and making individual moments of connection with so many people while belting out the soaring notes of "Lonely War." I'll be thinking about that moment long after other memories from the night have faded. And after ten years in the business and countless musical reinventions, Maggie Rose proves she knows her strengths, closing out the main set and encore with emotionally charged rock ballads "No One Gets Out Alive" and "Another Sad Song."

There's nothing about Maggie Rose that isn't ready to be the next big name in country-rock music. She doesn't define herself as anything but a musician creating and singing the songs she loves, and she does just that as well as any household name. She has one of the best voices in music. She has a lyrical honesty and integrity that connects her to audiences night after night. In sum, Maggie Rose's No One Gets Out Alive Tour is a powerfully intimate experience crafted by a star-powered professional. And Maggie Rose is undoubtedly a star who deserves success as colossal as her talent.

Listen to No One Gets Out Alive by Maggie Rose here.

i didn't ask for this, JØRDYN

In the genre defined by artists like Lizzy McAlpine and Phoebe Bridgers, new indie singer/songwriter JØRDYN makes her debut with her EP, i didn’t ask for this, released independently May 10. The project sees JØRDYN explore the realities, struggles, and unfairness of life amidst transitions, like her own transition from high school to college. She touches on loss, grief, jealousy, and displacement while experimenting with harmony, vocoding, and soundscape to create her own unique sound. 

While I typically give my own input on my favorite and standout tracks on each Abby's Albums review, I had the opportunity to also ask JØRDYN her own favorite and standout on i didn't ask for this:

"My favorite song is definitely the title track 'i didn't ask for this'. That is also definitely the stand out track as well. It is the most collaborative song of the EP and it shows. It really highlights the people I hold so near to my heart, my band."

My favorites: "Clean" "Jurnee"

Stand-out tracks: "i didn't ask for this"

This 5-track project starts with "Intro" that blends seamlessly into "Clean," with the former being a light instrumental with distorted spoken vocals seeming to set up the story of creating i didn't ask for this, with studio footage of JØRDYN verbally working through the process of finding her sound and her writing style while collaborating in the studio. "Clean," the single released from the project, finds JØRDYN stating "We're too old to be so young/We were closed but close enough/We know too much now and it kinda sucks/We know too much now and it's obvious that we won't grow old together'" backed by a synthy acoustic and a light, driving drum pad beat.

Ending i didn't ask for this with the title track is the perfect way to culminate the album; it builds slowly with a beautiful guitar-based melody that couples with JØRDYN's soft-spoken vocals. The chorus aches with "Holding on bridges that burn too long/And all of the ashes kept my tears in place/Swallow me whole and then forget the pain/I didn't ask for this" before JØRDYN's full vocal range finally has it's chance to shine, powerfully signing off the EP with the perfect combination of grief and hope.

Keep up with JØRDYN here: https://jrdynofficial.com/.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: OBSESSED WITH SOME TRACKS

Luke Hemmings' EP 'boy' Captures Nostalgia Amidst Growing Pains

In the years since his stunning solo debut album When Facing the Things We Turn Away From, Luke Hemmings embarked on back-to-back years of sold-out tours with 5 Seconds of Summer, finding himself in some of the world's busiest and most vibrant cities. While it might seem that loneliness would be scarce in this environment, Hemmings found himself grappling with an unexpected sense of isolation amidst the unfamiliarity and inherent humanity of his surroundings. In between tours, Hemmings relocated to New York City and, amidst its glittering skyscrapers and bustling streets, felt compelled to translate these complex emotions, this "ache," into music.

The result: his 7-track EP Boy, released on April 26 under Arista Records. The record bends the alternative genre to mould its melancholy sound, dark and glimmering, reminiscent of the twinkling city Hemmings found himself in during the composition of the project. Production from WFTTWTAF collaborator Sammy Witte serves as the perfect complement to Hemmings' introspective musings, providing mesmerizing alternative production that has already become a staple in Hemmings' solo ventures.

Illustrating the ache of growing pains, the existentialism of time lost to the death of your childhood, and the lifeline of connection in an increasingly disconnected world, Boy is a compilation that is incredibly nostalgic to longtime fans of Luke who lived the experiences of these songs alongside him. As a complete work, Hemmings' second solo endeavour is deeply personal, emotionally freeing, and subtly profound.

Stand-out tracks: "I'm Still Your Boy" "Benny”

My favorites: "Close My Eyes" "Promises"

Boy tells the story of seeing your whole life in front of you while still coping with the demons, mistakes, anxieties, and dreams of your past. Restless, sonorous, acoustic-driven "I'm Still Your Boy" opens the album with a tangible nostalgia for Luke's younger self, seen through the eyes of his adult self. Between Hemmings' vocal resilience and emotionally-charged lyricism ("I can't dance around it, I'd better be yours/I still ain't Chicago, the things that I miss"), the second verse on this track is a stand out on the project.

The chorus of the project's lead single, "Shakes," is a wistful haze of longing, with Hemmings' easy falsetto echoing "Honey, I just wanna be yours, wanna be yours/Inside your dreams tonight/Oh no, oh no/Can't shake this feeling." The atmospheric production leans into a sound defined by Hemmings' own "Saigon" and "Baby Blue," with impressive vocal layering and shimmering low-tone guitar synths. Later in the chorus, the lyrical switch to "Boy, I just wanna be yours" beautifully depicts Luke's building desperation and desire for emotional intimacy in his isolation.

While many of the tracks on Boy are distinctly crafted from Luke's personal growth, "Close My Eyes" and "Benny" emphasize the most human of fears: our inescapable past and our uncertain future. Named after his older brother, "Benny" is written about the deep-rooted anxieties Luke has lived with spending the last twelve years of his life living thousands of miles from his family in Australia. From "Watching from the outside/Should I be on a plane back home?" to "Living on the sidelines/What am I supposed to do?," this track holds a lot of guilt and uncertainty in its lyrics. "Close My Eyes" also has its fair share of anxiety hidden under its pulsing beat and heavenly vocals. Hemmings finds the words to console anyone who has ever held on to the comfort of the past even as it slips away, hoping it gives the strength to embrace the next chapter: "I won't look back until it's gone/Everything that I try to bury/And all the little deaths that set me off/I can't close my eyes." This track has risen to be my second favorite in Luke's entire solo discography, right behind WFTTWTAF closer "Comedown." If you know how much I love "Comedown," you know how massive of a compliment this is for "Close My Eyes" to be sitting in second place.

To the casual listener, album closer "Promises" gifts an absolutely stunning melody, mesmerizing production, and a messily romantic love story. But to those of us who have stood by Luke Hemmings across his full career, watching him grow from a hopeful teenage boy basking in the joy of his dreams coming true to seeing him struggle through depression, loss, and reinvention, "Promises" is a track that nearly brings me to tears with every listen. He emerges as healed, hopeful, and deeply grateful for where he's arrived despite all the pain of his youth. With his first solo tour, Nostalgia for a Time That Never Existed, on the horizon, all I can imagine when I hear "Promises" is the tangible gratitude I'll feel to sing the last few lines of the album along with Luke: "It's the promises/We make 'em every time/And every word you said/I hang on every line/I'd do it all again/I guess I just feel better around you."

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED