On August 8th, 2024, Alex Lemmermann (AKA Teenage Superman) released his second record, endless innocence, an album that meshes a variety of genres together to create a deep and complex album about staying curious and youthful while aging. We got in touch with Teenage Superman to talk about the album, his influences, and what it was like to get in the studio after recording and producing an album by himself.
What happens to us as we age? Our lives get busy with things like work and relationships. A lot of aging has to do with comforts. As we age, our routines become the same. Get up, go to work, go home. We repeat this cycle with little to no thought. Sure, we have hobbies, friends, and other things that make us unique, but a lot of aging consists of us falling into routines and not looking back. For Alex Lemmermann (Teenage Superman), the concept of aging and falling into these routines is anxiety-inducing. As the title suggests, endless innocence is an album in which Alex clings onto youthful energy through his lyrics that plead with the listener not to give up the wonderment for the world around them. endless innocence is an album that feels inventive, and daring at the same time. Each song feels reminiscent of a different genre, almost as if these songs represent a shifting interest of the songwriter as they are growing older. How did Teenage Superman create an album that is able to shift- yet feel like a cohesive experience seamlessly? We got in touch with Alex to ask him just that.
PL: Plastic Lizard
TS: Teenage Superman
Pre-Production Phase:
PS: We last talked about your freshman release The Endless Sunset on our podcast, Plastic Lizard: Uncovered, back in 2020. Could you talk a little bit about releasing that record and what you’ve been up to since then creatively.
TS: After releasing the first record, I wasn't satisfied. Not only did nobody listen to it, but I truly felt like I could do better. I'm still proud I did it with basically no experience, but originally it was just a bucket list item. After it came out, my reaction was pretty much "I can do better than that." So I took a break for a couple of years, because I knew I wanted to improve and evolve, but I didn't know how. It wasn't until the summer of '22 when everything opened up again that I felt inspired to write music again.
PL: When concepting for your next record, what are some things you set out to achieve?
TS: I firstly wanted to take what I learned from the first album, and throw away what I didn't like. For me, that meant getting help with engineering and mixing, since I have almost no knowledge of that technical stuff. But also, I just focused more on refining: practicing vocals, writing songs daily, performing songs for others. But overall, I just wanted to make something I could be proud of.
PL: This record sees you elevating your music with a more polished, higher-produced sound. What was the reasoning behind taking a more professional approach?
TS: I thought the first record sounded like shit. I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew I was capable of more. Plus, I found the joy in making music again, but I knew doing it all by myself sucked. I figured if I worked with somebody who actually knew what they were doing, it would stand a better chance of actually being listenable.
PL: Was there a decision process behind making the switch from DIY to going to a Studio? Did you go back and forth on the idea, or were you pretty dead set?
TS: I was pretty dead set on getting collaborators, but I was too afraid to reach out for a while. I didn't know if Mock Production Studios would laugh me out of the building, or if they'd not give any input at all and just hit the big red button. But they were great. They weren't afraid to tell me a song wasn't working, and they were really good at helping me hone in on my strengths. I knew it had to sound better than the first album.
PL: I hear a wide variety of influences on this new record, what were some things that you were influenced by while creating this record?
TS: I originally wanted to make an album that was a mix between blink-182 and Aphex Twin. That's all I would listen to during the pandemic, so I would ponder on my runs what that would sound like. As the process went on, I found myself being more influenced by then-recent musical discoveries: Magdalena Bay, George Clanton, Paramore, Naked Flames, unreleased Ween demos, The Go! Team - while also pulling elements of all-time favorites like Animal Collective, Green Day, Death Grips, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Beach Boys, MF DOOM, etc.
Recording and Writing Process:
PL: Given the title of the album, endless innocence, this album feels either biographical/ or like a coming-of-age concept album. There is a certain sense of youthfulness and romanticization of one’s past, most notably displayed on tracks like ‘when all is said and done’, and ‘can you listen?’. Can you talk a little about what this album means lyrically?
TS: I was at a point in my life where I felt like I was wasting my time, but I also didn't wanna "grow up" in the traditional sense - I saw friends getting married, getting "big boy" jobs, losing their youthful energy and willingness to try new things. I didn't wanna let go of that, I didn't wanna become some bitter old fart that bitches about anything made after high school, which is one of my biggest fears. So I wanted to find that inner child, that sense of wonder and joy, and I wanted to see how I could keep that alive as an adult. I didn't want others to give up and become jaded, boring people. It was also a very emotionally taxing time in my life - I experienced a lot of emotional instability, and a lot of these songs come from those breakdowns, as a means to ground myself back to reality.
PL: There’s a lot of musical shifting on this album, it feels like every song is inspired by a different style of music. I hear Indie/Alternative Rock influences (‘begin again’), Psych influences (everywhere on this record, most notably on ‘rolling thunder’ and ‘can you listen’), 70s Rock influences, and even 90s EuroDance influences (‘i’d die’) on this record. Did you set out to make a record that defies genre, or did it just happen?
TS: I just wanted to make a record where no two songs sounded the same, because I knew that would bore me - and in turn, bore everybody else. Plus, I just wanted to experiment and do what felt right. I greatly admire bands and artists that are able to hone in on one specific sound and keep it sounding great after many years - Green Day is the prime example, in my opinion. But I guess I'm just one of those wanderers, trying to find the next great sound, and seeing what does and doesn’t work.
PL: As we have mentioned before, this record is the first one where you worked with a producer, talk about that process. Did it help you creatively or did it hinder you?
TS: I grew exponentially as an artist, I feel. Working in a studio, with people who had experience with equipment and live performances, greatly expanded my abilities. They got me to start performing live, they inspired me to start doing daily vocal warmups - but I cannot get over how important it is to have someone to bounce ideas off of. I'm my own worst critic, so I shudder to think how many good ideas I threw out because they weren't up to impossible standards. Having another living, breathing person to tell me whether or not an idea sucks - that's so much better than battling yourself in isolation, I feel.
PL: What did your relationship with your producer look like throughout the creation of the album?
TS: It took some time, since I had a hard time conveying what I wanted. Plus, the studio primarily works with hip hop/r&b, so it was a learning experience for all of us. But once we started a working relationship, it was beautiful. To have someone that understands your vibe, and can often translate your ideas into something better than you could have imagined - I cannot overstate the importance of having that.
PL: On Spotify, your ‘Artist Pick’ section has endless innocence highlighted, with a message that says ‘the record that I’ve always wanted to make’. What does this mean? Have you had this concept in your head for a while, or did you want to make an album that sounded like this?
TS: It's the album I always wanted to make, because I always wanted to make something in a recording studio, with guest musicians and all that! The first record was a product of the tools I had, which were limited. But this album was more what I heard in my head, and those signals became far more unscrambled this time around.
PL: What were some challenges that you had to face while working with a producer?
TS: The biggest challenge was logistics - I would sometimes have to wait almost a month before getting back into the studio. While I am thankful, as it allowed me to work on my voice, and to reconsider certain production elements - it was addicting after a while. There were times where I hit a wall of scheduling conflicts, which was incredibly frustrating, especially towards the end of the project. I just wanted to move on and start working on other projects, but delays kept coming up and the planned release just kept getting pushed further and further. I'm grateful that it got released when it did, but it was very frustrating at the time!
PL: Going forward, do you want to use a producer again, or do you envision yourself going back to DIY recording after this experience?
TS: There's no way in hell I wanna go back to doing DIY again! To be an artist is about pushing forward, not backward. And I find no joy in working alone anymore - I need others to play with too! I can't think of any artists that truly work alone and make music that inspires me - even Aphex Twin has people mastering his stuff and checking it over!
Release
PL: How do you feel now the record is out?
TS: I feel good, but once again, I feel like I can do better. I'm happy that I've had more people listen to the album in the weeks that it's been out, than I have listened to my previous work overall. But I don't wanna dwell or rest on my laurels, I wanna start a band and keep going. I know I'm capable of better things, but I'm really happy that I finally have something I can show people and not be embarrassed of!
PL: Do you have any plans for promoting the record in any other way? Any shows planned?
TS: I've been sending CD copies to college radio stations across the country, as an act of faith. Who knows, maybe one of those fine folks is reading this article right now! (Thank you for giving me a shot, by the way! Keep independent radio alive and well!) I've also been emailing stations music as well. Plus I've been reaching out to podcasts and writers, such as yourself, who are willing to give me a shot. I also am in the midst of planning some shows as we speak, but I don't wanna announce them until they're set in stone. But I'll be making t-shirts!
PL: Where can people follow you for more updates and announcements in the future?
TS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teenagesuperman/
My Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/teenagesuperman64/
and my Bandcamp page: https://teenagesuperman.bandcamp.com/
Any updates on new projects or live shows will be posted on those socials! I will be straight however: I don't go on Bandcamp all that often.
After speaking with Teenage Superman about endless innocence, there is a new layer of enjoyment that I have been getting from the sophomore album. As a critical artist, one of the hardest things to do is look back at your previous work. There are a lot of things that I have done creatively in my own past that I get very protective over. Instead of looking back at his first record and giving up, Alex looked back at the record and came up with a solution of how to make his next one better, while still staying true to himself as an artist. endless innocence isn’t a record that plays anything safely, which shows the ambition that the Teenage Superman project is rooted in. There are so many different musical influences represented throughout the record that don’t feel connected upon first look. Because of this smattering of genres on display, you can tell that everyone involved on the album is having a fun time in the studio, not feeling tied to a specific sound. Records in which you can tell that the people involved are having a good time are some of my favorites because of the overall personality they exude.
A massive shoutout goes to the people over at Mock Production Studios in Mankato, MN for their help working on this record and creating something within a genre they don’t normally deal with. It gave endless innocence a unique sound, and when combined with Alex’s desire to have no two songs sound alike, it makes for an album unlike anything you’ll hear this year. An equal thank you goes out to Teenage Superman for taking the time to answer our questions with so much substance. Check out the latest record, endless innocence anywhere you listen to your music. If you want to support the artist, consider heading over to Teenage Superman’s bandcamp page and purchasing the record.
Follow Teenage Superman on these platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagesuperman64/
Bandcamp: https://teenagesuperman.bandcamp.com/
Follow Mock Production Studios on these platforms:
Listen to ‘not the one’ off of endless innocence by Teenage Superman below:
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