Maggie Lindemann’s debut EP: too formulaic to be alternative
The approach to making music hasn’t changed as much as she’d have you believe since her 2015 break-out single.
swixxzaudio, released January 22, 2021
More than 5 years after her first single, Maggie Lindemann is finally happy with the music she’s making. Trying to break into the scene, Maggie agreed to compromise at first, becoming “this bubblegum-pop girl” if necessary to get her name out. Fast forward a couple of years, free from the label machine, she now put out her first EP under her own terms, citing influences like Avril Lavigne, Paramore and Evanescence. The shift in genre is nonetheless not as drastic as one could imagine. Maggie is not taking too many risks; the audience of ‘Pretty Girl’ is audibly still pretty much that of PARANOIA. Yes, the EP’s got more heavy guitars and drums but the sounds are broadly over-polished and formulaic. Branding the EP as alternative is a similar reach to Taylor Swift’s standom claiming ‘folklore’ was an alternative record first and foremost. Alternative music is typically not consumed by mainstream audiences or played on popular radio. It challenges the status quo and is comfortable enough with discomfort to shake things up. PARANOIA has little grit, no hard surfaces, no discomfort to speak of: it’s pop music geared for radio plays and fans should be okay with that.
Maggie’s debut is not out to make ripples in a pond that’s already ready to drink up what she has to sell (as demonstrated by the 700+ million Spotify streams of the Pretty Girl Remix). To a writer who’s always out for fresh takes on pop music, PARANOIA leans on the forgettable, not to mention how heavily derivative the bulk of the tracklist comes off. ‘Different’ is the prototype of the soft indie pop rock song, diligent in its application of a recipe that’s become public domain at this point. It somehow manages to erase any and all of her vocal intricacies behind cumbersome drums and guitars on a chorus that doesn’t stick. ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ is a take on what Evanescence would have sounded like as a Gen Z band - notably featuring vocals that feel cruelly not committed enough to the moment. Case in point #3: ‘Crash and Burn’ recycles a stale sound Paramore mined gold out of more than a decade ago and doesn’t bring anything new or exciting to the table.
When Maggie actually steps out of a box clearly outlined by PARANOIA’s sonic mood board, the result is high-risk low-reward. ‘GASLIGHT!’ is remarkable in its adoption of a trap undertone along with screamo inclines. The track has energy, a life of its own and crafts a musical fabric by synthesizing influences without sounding like the brainchild of a single one of them. Further, Siiickbrain’s screaming tests the limits of what Maggie’s audience will gravitate towards. It is not this writer’s cup of tea but there is something commendable in this departure - I will take experimentation any day over the implementation of what’s already done many times (and being less successful at it).
Dynamic arrangements, full of changes in instrumental velocity and variations in the instrumentation along a song progression are the saving grace of PARANOIA’s brightest spots. ‘Knife Under My Pillow’ is part-streamlined, part-prone to sudden switch-ups. It manages to take late 90s pop-rock and make it current - showcasing enthralling drums that CARRY the track like no other on the EP. Peaks and valleys also abound in ‘Loner’, making the angsty emo song a high-potential radio hit. Yet the ultimate stand out is Tim Burton’s demonic pop offspring ‘Scissorhands’. The track is the one that best blends pop and hard rock - recalling Rina Sawayama’s 2020 debut or Poppy’s I Disagree. The song shows Maggie has what it takes to take her craft to the next level without compromising her mainstream appeal. Still, as it currently stands, PARANOIA is far too inconsistent to make a case for eagerly awaiting a full-length offering on the Lindemann front.
Favorites: Scissorhands (4/10)
Comentários