Sadie Gugliotta, 15, Canton High School, Canton, Mass.
“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is a lush, rebellious depiction of self-acceptance as revolution, redefining contemporary camp with disco-synth scintillations and raucous lyricism. Chappell Roan, the creation of Missouri native Kayleigh Amstutz, defies the conventions of propriety and discretion with drama and ecstasy, dressed in rhinestone embellished prom dresses and bedazzled Skechers. Her persona is outrageous, loud and hedonistic, lending the album its overabundant character and depth of feeling, delivered through a pastiche of Carly Rae Jepsen and Lady Gaga, and polished by the oversaturated-pop sensibility of Dan Nigro’s production.
“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” sparkles with musical zeal and lyrical absurdism. Its second track, “Red Wine Supernova,” opens with compressed synths and crystalline guitar strumming, underlying Roan’s playful narration of a new crush turned sour: “I just wanna get to know ya / Guess I didn’t quite think it through / Fell in love with the thought of you / Now I’m choked up, face down, burnt out.” The juxtaposition of syrupy, hyper-femme vocals against instrumental stylings reminiscent of quintessential ’80s pop are a hallmark of the album’s sound; this pep rally-esque excess shines on “HOT TO GO!” and the almost caricatured decadence of “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.”
In the more deliberate “Pink Pony Club,” Roan sings of leaving home to pursue her dreams of stardom, despite her mother’s disapproval. The song soars with sparse synths and wailing guitars, a prime example of the album’s appeal; it is an anthem of queer pride and triumph in the face of opposition, cresting in a chorus of unwavering resolve: “I’m gonna keep on dancing at the / Pink Pony Club.”
Roan is just as capable of delivering a bleeding ballad as she is a sleek, stylized romp; “California” makes a spectacle of disillusionment, honeyed vocals and desperately luxurious trumpets mourning promises unfulfilled by Hollywood glory. She sings, “I was never told that I wasn’t gonna get / The things I want the most / But people always say, ‘If it hasn’t happened yet / Then maybe you should go,’” momentarily abandoning the outsized persona with which Roan steels herself to lament the impermanence and disposability of artists in a culture of overconsumption. The track demonstrates the album’s nuance, undulating from subtlety to sequined pageantry with an ease that eludes most pop artists today.
“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” makes a farce of Roan’s greatest heartbreaks with flippant pettiness and gutsy humor, showcasing her musical versatility and theatrical performance, and shimmering with the uncut confidence of a seasoned pop star. Through brash lyrics, explosive instrumentals and exceptional vulnerability, Chappell Roan solidifies herself as a queer iconoclast and pop mainstay, a “Midwest Princess” for the “Super Graphic Ultra Modern” 21st century.
