After being an alt-rock and pop-punk fan for as long as she can remember, Maggie Lindemann has finally released her own pop-punk album, SUCKERPUNCH. Like the title, the album showcases raw emotions out of nowhere and unexpectedly. Described as a more “elevated” version of her debut ep PARANOIA, which was released in 2021.
Explaining how she felt that PARANOIA was an experience of figuring out who she is as a songwriter in this new genre she was stepping into, Lindemann goes on to say how she feels that prepped her for writing SUCKERPUNCH. She says “As a songwriter, for PARANOIA, I was getting into it, seeing what I liked, what I don’t like… how I like using words. Writing SUCKERPUNCH I tapped into that and let myself be more free to say the things I wanted to and freely create. Instead of trying to figure it out, I was already figured out.” This evolution of Maggie Lindemann is something that listeners take away from listening to SUCKERPUNCH for the first time. She goes on to say, “I hope that people can see the evolution of myself and hear the growth in my writing and the production.”
Details such as the track order and the visuals of the album are contributions to the story that Maggie Lindemann is telling. Each song has a corresponding lyric video or music video to show what Lindemann sees when she is writing songs. “Whenever I make music, I see things. I see the picture in my head. Making SUCKERPUNCH, I already had the music videos in mind. I already had some images in mind,” Lindemann explained. She goes on to talk about some of the concepts of the visuals corresponding to the album.
The “break me” lyric video has fonts that look like a spider web. This subtle detail is intended to visualize being tangled and wrapped up, to carry a deeper meaning. On a more fun fresh note, the “cages” was heavily influenced by Avril Lavigne‘s “Sk8er Boy” music video. Unlike the “break me” video, the “cages” video does not hold any deep meaning, showing the different vibes of the album.
These different vibes of the album also tie into the storytelling of the album through the order of songs. Starting off with the perfect flow of the intro to “take me nowhere”, listeners are encouraged to listen to the album in full and in order. Focusing on the frustration of a situation, the angst of “take me nowhere” is a good start to the story that is intended to be told. Lindemann describes the intent of the order by saying, “I wanted it to be a progression of being upset, angry and sad, then happy, then going through a bad relationship. Then towards the end, it gets like ‘how could you do this to me?’ which is more about you taking back the power. Then the final song is ‘cages’ which is supposed to leave you with hope.” With the fun and free concept of the “cages” video already discussed, the story that Maggie Lindemann is telling is clear through the lyrics, visuals, and emotion of her voice.
Listening to the album, the intent and message are beautifully told in every detail. You can hear the anger and frustration at the beginning of the album with tracks like “take me nowhere” and “self sabotage”. Described as one of the most self-reflective songs on the album, “self sabotage” showcases the frustration of ruining things for yourself because of letting anxiety get the best of you. On top of the lyrics, details in the production such as the glitches that can be heard in the song contribute to the storytelling. Following “self sabotage” is “phases” and “i’m so lonely with you” reflecting the bad relationship journey of the album. Towards the end of the album is “hear me out” which not only illustrates the “how could you do this to me” part of the album, but Lindemann said that it is the most emotional to her and means the most. Finishing off with the very hyped-up track “cages” gives an important message of being independent and healed. From being wrapped up in a spiderweb in “break me”, to the lyric “lions aren’t meant for cages” shows the progression of emotion and growth intended.
The “Pretty Girl” singer also opened up about what made her switch genres. Growing up in a family who loves metal music, Lindemann finally started to dip her toes into the alt-rock and pop-punk scene recently after being in the music industry since 2015/2016. She explains that this came to be at a time while on tour when inconveniences happened that made her question where she was at with her career.
She describes that the “resurgence” of pop-punk happened shortly after this realization of hers, which she says felt like “divine timing”. One thing made clear was the genre might’ve changed, but Maggie Lindemann has not, she is just now expressing a different side of herself. Lindemann touched on this by saying, “A lot of people don’t realize, I am the same person that I was, I just had this mask up. I was listening to the same stuff that I am now and still have all the same interests, I was just presenting myself in a different way.”
Releasing a debut album is not the only new experience for Maggie Lindeman, the singer is headlining her first ever headline shows taking place in Los Angeles and New York this fall. At said headlining shows, PARANOIA and SUCKERPUNCH will be performed live for the first time.
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