Introducing Maggie Lindemann, the alt-pop break-out sharing her debut EP, PARANOIA

Maggie Lindemann is someone who feels representative of why the next generation of musicians are so damn exciting. She's a musical chameleon, someone who is the by-product of a genre-less upbringing including hip-hop, alt-rock, punk and beyond - all of which have a presence felt within her work. She's also someone that's able to present that through an all-encompassing creative universe that excels beyond just releasing music; her vision and direction showing through music - of course - but also in the worlds of fashion, acting, podcasting and curation.

It's a kind-of 'the sky is the limit' way of thinking that's become synonymous with the social media age of musicianship, one that encourages artists to break boundaries and go beyond what people tell them is possible. An artist keeps finding music they love and wanna help support the creators? They'll DIY themselves a label, either completely on their own or with the help of a larger label (it's what Maggie did herself with swixxzaudio, a label supported by Caroline). An artist has an adoration of fashion? They'll design and conceptualise out of the box merch lines themselves, without waiting for the strategic green light that often comes way too late.

Maggie Lindemann brings both sides of this together, and it's not too difficult to understand why she's been such a blossoming name. She originally arose through her break-out 2016 single Pretty Girl, which threw her into the international spotlight mid-way through high school and sent her over to Los Angeles, where she moved to further pursue her music career. However, rather than attempting to recreate the craze of her breakthrough single with the same hit over and over again, Maggie diversified - throwing out tunes that edged themselves into the alt-rock, hip-hop-inspired, pop-punk and auxiliary worlds depending on what she was feeling.

She became a genre-less figure for the new generation; the shared trait between each of her releases being herself and her vision, and off-kilter display of personality that she'd felt inspired by after watching acts like Lana Del Rey and Paramore rise in the process of growing up. "At the time I was a teenage girl and it was like: ‘We want you to make pop music.’ And it was also hard because I’d had this big song, so I had to decide: ‘Do I want to risk coming out with different music that might not work, or do I want to keep doing what I’m doing, knowing it will probably do well?’," she tells Gaytimes. "But honestly, the risk was worth it because I literally love the music I’m making now."

Skip forward to 2021, and we're no doubt as grateful as Maggie for choosing a path of authenticity, because on her recently-arriving debut EP PARANOIA, it all comes together brilliantly. It's an eight-track testimony of what happens when strive for genuineness; every moment on the record - and in the complete universe that revolves around it - being a reflection of Maggie Lindemann, down to the intimacy of his personality to the songs and genres that paved her identity growing up.

It's a somewhat dark and twisted record because of that (something which in fairness, you can probably guess with an EP title like PARANOIA), but like the twisted-but-uplifting art she's inspired by (think Tim Burton and Edward Scissorhands), it's not a depressingly sad or angry record per-say. Rather, it's one that balances the highlights just as much as the lowlights; every moment of anger or frustration underlined with the glimpse of hope that comes afterwards, whether it be lyrically or musically, the latter shown in just how down-right fun the record is.

That excitement and energy is the other way PARANOIA shines too. It's an EP that relishes in its inspiration from left-field alt-pop and punk-rock alike, taking moments and mannerisms from both and combining them into one. Throughout the course of the EP's eight tracks, she explores every facet of that intersection of interests, from those that rush with the pace and octane typically characteristic of punk (Loner is a brilliant example of that) right through to its more tender and emotive moments; the ballad-like Love Songs being an aptly-titled punt at writing a love song without the clichés and boredom that often comes alongside (it's a success in doing that, too).

There's even a bit of a homegrown connection too, with Alex Lahey working behind-the-scenes on two of the stand-out tracks: Knife Under My Pillow and Crash and Burn. "She’s so talented," Lindemann says of Alex Lahey, a musician who very much feels like an Australian comparative in her DIY-esque rock-pop nature. "We have some more songs coming out together that I’m so excited about! She’s been amazing."

At the core of everything, however, is Maggie Lindemann, and PARANOIA feels like an introduction to her inner mind as much as it is one for her music. "I’m so excited for the world to finally hear what I’ve been working on for the last 2 years," she says. "Every song has a different story, and I can’t wait to see how they’re interpreted."

Dive into the EP below:

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