Maisie Peters - The Good Witch (LP)

Maisie Peters’ second album, The Good Witch, lands with the confidence of a pop writer who knows exactly where her sharpest lines cut. Released on 23 June 2023 through Gingerbread Man Records, it shot straight to number one on the UK Albums Chart, a proper arrival after the diaristic sparkle of her 2021 debut You Signed Up For This. On this record she leans harder into character, craft and momentum, threading heartbreak into a set that never loses its pop pulse.

The opener sets the tone with a curtain-lifting prologue that frames the album like a little movie, then the stakes kick up with Coming of Age and Body Better, the latter serving as the lead single and still one of her most piercing choruses. There is a hitch in her voice when she sings about comparison and doubt, but the production keeps things buoyant, all bright guitars and crisp drums that let the lyric land without wallowing. Lost the Breakup flips the script with a strut and a wink, the kind of post-split anthem you want in your ears walking down Swanston Street on a sunny morning.

One of Peters’ tricks is how she changes perspective without losing cohesion. You’re Just A Boy (And I’m Kinda The Man) plays like a pep talk to herself that doubles as a kiss-off, while BSC rips forward with a fizzy, pop-rock crunch that will have longtime fans thinking of the scrappier corners of her early singles. The Band and I acts as a breather in the middle, a short postcard from the road that nods to the way these songs were lived in on tour before being locked to tape.

Wendy is the record’s storytelling heart, folding a Peter Pan reference into a classic choose-yourself ballad. It’s easy to picture phone torches swaying when she hits the title, and that communal lump-in-the-throat feeling is part of why she sells rooms out. Two Weeks Ago takes the temperature down even further, a soft-voiced spiral through what-ifs that keeps the writing tight and unsentimental. Then there is There It Goes, which has quietly become a fan favourite. It builds with no flashy tricks, just pure craft and a melody that blooms on repeat listens. You hear why it travelled so far online, and why it sticks in setlists.

The closer, History of Man, is a statement piece. It steps outside the immediate drama to look at how stories get told and retold, especially about women who don’t fit neatly into the endings they’re handed. It is not just the longest breath on the album, it is the one that leaves a mark, suggesting a writer thinking about the bigger picture even while she’s turning out pristine hooks.

Critics clocked all this on release, and the album drew strong notices in places like NME and The Guardian for its detail and the way it pairs glossy pop with literary leanings. But the best argument for The Good Witch is how it feels in the hand and the ear. Spin The Good Witch vinyl and you get that side A and side B journey, the quiet mid-album interlude working like a true scene change before the final run. If you collect Maisie Peters albums on vinyl, this sits nicely next to the debut, a little darker in tone, a little bolder in how it frames the chorus as a plot twist rather than just a sugar rush.

For anyone hunting in a Melbourne record store or browsing late at night to buy Maisie Peters records online, this is the one to grab. It is also a tidy gateway if you’re new and wondering where to start with Maisie Peters vinyl. The sequencing is punchy, the writing is front and centre, and the songs already feel built to last. In a year crowded with big pop releases, she found room at the top of the UK chart by doing what she does best, telling stories that feel lived-in and then giving them the kind of choruses you want to yell back. If you’re stocking up on vinyl records Australia wide, or just curious whether The Good Witch vinyl earns a spin on a lazy Sunday, the answer is yes. It is smart, catchy and quietly generous, which is to say it keeps giving you new favourite lines every time you return.