The progression of Maggie Lindemann has been fascinating to follow since she first emerged several years ago. Her transformation as a musician has been awesome, and it has been so cool to see her find her sound and style. Maggie Lindemann burst onto the Pop music scene in a big way when her single ‘Pretty Girl’ went viral in 2016(the 2017 remix of this song by CHEAT CODES has almost a billion streams on Spotify at this point). For the next few years, Maggie Lindemann would continue to make mainstream-sounding Pop music. To be honest, even though I had always thought she has a really nice voice, I kind of stopped paying attention to her during this portion of her career because she was not doing anything that stood out very much in my opinion. Maggie Lindemann’s music started to totally shift when she released the single ‘Knife Under My Pillow’ in 2020. This track had a Pop-Punk sound that feels directly inspired by Blink 182. This track was a fun veer off of the beaten path for Maggie, and it was a sign of things to come. For the next couple of years, Maggie released a few more interesting singles, with sounds ranging from various sounds of Punk Rock, Post-Grunge, and Emo music. All of these singles led to the release of Maggie Lindemann’s first album, SUCKERPUNCH, in the fall of 2022. Maggie was praised for her growth as an artist on this album, and it was seen as a solid debut and foray into the Rock world for her. Unfortunately, I sort of slept on this album when it came out and did not review it for my blog at the time. I have since gone back to this project and come to appreciate it a bunch in the last couple of years. Maggie Lindemann recently released a new project called HEADSPLIT. If this project is an improvement on her 2022 debut record, it could cement her as a new star in Alternative Rock music. With that being said, here is how I feel about Maggie Lindemann’s new album HEADSPLIT. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from HEADSPLIT, and also comment on how you feel about the project as a whole
Maggie Lindemann starts off HEADSPLIT on a heavy and melancholy note with the song ‘rip my heart out.’ This is a song that feels super inspired by Evanescence. The introduction to the track feels inspired by the softer, acoustic track by Evanescence, with the rest of the track feeling inspired by their harder, Alt-Metal stuff. Even though it is easy to sense where the inspiration for this instrumental comes from, it is still dynamic and fresh. The chunky and meaty guitar riff that drives the melody during the body of the track is super catchy, and the way the drum pattern changes at points in the track is very engaging. Maggie Lindemann’s clear vocals sound so strong in this ‘rip my heart out.’ Her vocals add emotion to the track and contrast the strength of the instrumental nicely. ‘rip my heart out’ is a song where Maggie is progressing her love for her partner graphically. ‘die for’ also feels inspired by 2000s Alt-Metal music, albeit a slightly different version than the one that precedes it. This track has an upbeat Post-Grunge music that has a “divorced dad rock” feeling to it. If you are into bands like Skillet or Breaking Benjamin, this is a song for you. There are some glitchy elements to the mix that are quirky that I dig a lot. Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of this kind of Rock music, so these weird sections in the mix on ‘die for’ pull me in a bit more. Another thing about this song that pulls me in is the vocals; the emphasis that Maggie sings with makes the song feel huge. Regardless of how I feel about this style of Rock, I can recognize when it is done well. Lyrically, ‘die for’ is similar to ‘rip my heart out,’ with Maggie Lindemann singing about her love for her partner in a vivid way. ‘deprecating,’ which features Siiickbrain, was actually released as a single back in October of 2023. This is a super cool track that I considered putting on my best songs of 2023 list, but did not. If I could go back, I would include it on that list. I have grown to enjoy it more and more in the last couple of months. ‘deprecating’ is completely different from the song before it. This song has an ultramodern sound that is so unique; I honestly do not know what I could compare it to. It has elements of Alt-Metal, Emo Trap, Industrial music, and glitchy EDM. It is pretty amazing how complex this instrumental is considering it is only 2:06. ‘deprecating’ goes super hard, and it is the kind of song that absolutely pumps me up when I hear it. The vocal performances of this track are just as riveting as the instrumental. The way that Siiickbrain’s screeching vocals contrast with Maggie’s more delicate tone on this track gives the song such a stunning texture. On ‘deprecating,’ Maggie and Siiickbrain talk about a toxic relationship and the betrayal of trust. Maggie Lindemann slows things down and strips things back on ‘you hold my love.’ Instrumentally, this is the most subdued song on the record. That is not saying much, because it still has a pretty dense sound. The melody for this track is driven by extremely melancholy synths and varying levels of distortion. At the end of the track, a guitar riff with the same tone as the synths come in, making me think this is the basis for the melody and that the synths were added to wash over it and make it feel ultramodern. The beat for this one, which comes in and out, has an off-kilter Drum n Bass sound that makes this song feel anxious. This song has my favorite vocal performance of the project so far. Maggie Lindemann’s vocals on ‘you hold my love’ are beautiful and ethereal, and they give the song a floaty feeling. On ‘you hold my love,’ Maggie Lindemann is singing about how she will do anything for her partner.
Maggie Lindemann returns to the Post-Grunge “divorced dad” Rock sound we got on ‘die for’ with the song ‘one last time.’ This song somehow feels more inspired by that kind of music than ‘die for’ does. Unlike ‘die for,’ the tempo and overall mix of this track have a very Y2K Rock feeling as well, making it feel even more retro. One thing I respect about this track is how the instrumental hardens and softens as the song progresses. During the verses of ‘one last time,’ the instrumental becomes a bit more reserved, making the hook and bridge hit all the more harder. Like every song before it, Maggie Lindemann’s vocals on this song are great and make it all the more enjoyable. On ‘one last time,’ Maggie Lindemann is singing about seizing the moment and not letting life pass you by or living with regret. ‘24,’ which features Alexis Munroe, has a slightly different 2000s Alternative Rock sound to it. This song is not as chunky as the one that precedes it. Although the guitar riff that drives the melody is pretty gritty and tough, it definitely feels a bit more crisp than some of the other riffs on the record. To be frank, this is the most forgettable song of the project to me. The vocal performances are nice and do pull up its quality a bit for me, but ‘24’ does not have the same kind of power as all of the other tracks before it in my opinion. On ‘24,’ Maaggie and Alexis sing about getting older and how the pressure of adulthood keeps piling on them despite how ready they are. ‘hostage,’ which is the second single from this record and was released earlier this year, returns to the Alternative Nu-Metal sound that we got on the opening track of the record. This is an additional track that sounds majorly inspired by artists like Evanescence or even Korn. The melody is driven by an intense guitar riff with a glitchy tempo that is complemented by various synths that give it an ultra-modern element. The drum beat for ‘hostage’ is pretty upbeat and brash, and it helps give the song a looming element that adds to its robustness. Like so many other moments on the album, the instrumental is nice, but the thing that sticks out the most about ‘hostage’ is the vocal performance. Maggie Lindemann’s vocals on this track are beautiful and haunting, and they provide a softness to the track that gives it texture. On ‘hostage,’ Maggie Lindemann sings about feeling trapped in her mind and reaching out for help as she feels more lonely than ever. Maggie Lindemann closes out HEADSPLIT on a super vigorous and captivating note with the song ‘taking over me,’ which features Jasiah. This may be the heaviest song on the record, which is obviously saying a lot. ‘taking over me’ is a song that meshes aggressive, sludgy Metal music with Industrial Drum n Bass music and Trap music. The guitar riff that drives this melody hits so hard and is so mean; the distortion that comes in and out of this melody gives it a robotic feeling that makes it sound like it comes from a miserable, dystopian future. The beat for ‘taking over me’ is constantly changing. Like, ‘deprecating,’ even though this track is pretty short, it feels so complicated. As I mentioned above, there are elements of Trap, Drum n Bass, and Trap. The way the beat keeps morphing keeps me so enthralled as a listener. The vocals from both Maggie Lindemann and Jasiah on ‘taking over me’ are simply great. Maggie’s wide range shines on this track, and the screaming we get from Jasiah contrasts her dainty vocals nicely and matches the raucous feeling of the song. On ‘taking over me,’ Maggie Lindemann and Jasiah are talking about being overwhelmed by anxiety and letting it dominate their life(which is a sentiment I am sure a lot of us can relate to). Maggie Lindemann certainly wanted to end HEADSPLIT epically, and she may have saved the best for last with ‘taking over me.’
If you were to only know Maggie Lindemann for the very popular ElectroPop music she was known for early in her career, you would never believe that she could make the kind of music she makes today. Her transformation as an artist has been pretty amazing. Maggie Lindemann has gone in the complete opposite direction with her sound since debuting in the mid-2010s, and she has been vastly improving and coming into her own as she has gone deeper into the Alternative music scene. HEADSPLIT is a great example of a very talented artist finding their sound and thriving at it. On HEADSPLIT, Maggie Lindemann explores various types of Alternative Metal and Post-Grunge and puts her spin on it. Even if you are not into some of the styles of Rock music on this project, it is easy to see that it is done super well. HEADSPLIT is an impressive project that sets Maggie Lindemann apart from her peers. I can not wait to see what she does next, as on HEADSPLIT Maggie Lindemann proves that she has found her place in Alternative music, and it asserts her spot as one of the most stimulating artists making this kind of music right now.
EAST SIDE VIBES 