On HEADSPLIT, the follow-up to her 2022 debut album SUCKERPUNCH and second EP to date, Maggie Lindemann set out to create a sonic representation of her fractured mental state. In an interview with Kerrang! she said that “the meaning is just my head being split with so many different emotions” and we are pleased to announce that she has succeeded in capturing this whirling, visceral imagery with flying colors.
In keeping with its theme of inner turmoil, HEADSPLIT’s sonic palette sees Lindemann branching out into unexplored sounds as well as refining the fiery pop-rock she first cultivated in 2021’s Paranoia EP before diving headfirst into guitar-heavy nu-pop for her debut.
Her glacial voice takes on an ethereal quality on tracks like opener "Rip My Heart Out" and "You Hold My Love" where Maggie’s vocals float over a surprisingly effective dip into drum’n’bass like a mournful specter. This switch-up from her usual straightforward delivery works masterfully to communicate the yearning that sometimes springs from a newfound love.
In fact, love is a common thread throughout the 8-track EP, a subject that Lindemann had previously only addressed in the past tense in frustrated pop-punk breakup anthems and sorrowful ballads to lost affection. On HEADSPLIT however, Maggie has seen the light as she proclaims on the industrial-tinged "Die For" to, “find who you’d die for / that’s who you live for” and on lead single "Hostage," her penmanship has noticeably shifted from fixating on the loss of love to the desperate need to hold onto it, despite self-sabotaging tendencies.
This artistic growth and maturity is found in other aspects of her work too- this marks the first project where all tracks were exclusively written by Lindemann. Her strength of vision shows in her willingness to branch out beyond the confines of her previous pop princess and subsequently pop-punk boxes entirely on her own terms.
On stand-out track and EP closer "Taking Over Me" she dives headfirst into nu-trap with an assist from alt-rapper Jasiah, penning possibly the strongest chorus of her career as a despairing ode to anxiety and indulging herself with a certified nu metal “GO!” moment.
HEADSPLIT is an electrified ride through one woman’s mental anguish, laden with surprises and plenty to sink your teeth into if you’re craving crunchy guitars and soaring choruses.
