The Check-In with Telehealth

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer31mApril 24, 2026

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AI-Generated Summary

In this episode of 'The Check-In with Joe Plummer,' Joe welcomes Alex and Kendra from the indie synth-pop band Telehealth to discuss their upcoming sophomore album, 'Green World Image,' set for release on May 15th via Sub Pop Records. The conversation dives into the band's origins as a pandemic-era project born from years of collaboration in Seattle's music scene, their DIY ethos, and the satirical yet poignant themes of modern tech culture, social media absurdity, and urban gentrification. They reflect on their creative process—writing music first, then crafting lyrics through improvisation and revision—and reveal how their song 'Things I've Killed' emerged from a Reddit meme about millennial-era cultural casualties, transforming it into a tongue-in-cheek anthem of both guilt and empowerment. The hosts also explore the band's live setup, their shift to sample-based backing tracks for practicality and performance focus, and their upcoming month-long US tour starting in Cleveland. Throughout, the tone is candid, self-aware, and celebratory of the messy, contradictory reality of being artists in a hyper-commercialized world.

Key Takeaways
1

Write what you know—even if you don’t know what’s happening, use art to make sense of the chaos.

2

Satire and absurdity are powerful tools for coping with modern dystopian capitalism.

3

Simplify your live setup to prioritize performance and connection over technical perfection.

4

DIY music remains viable and meaningful, even when signed to a major label like Sub Pop.

5

Embrace the contradictions: you can be both complicit in and critical of the systems you critique.

…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus

Chapters
0:00
2 min

Sponsor Intro: Kuma Coffee & Audio Tech

Joe opens the episode with sponsor reads for Kuma Coffee, Isotope (audio restoration), and DistroKid, highlighting their products and exclusive offers for listeners.

2:29
3 min

Seattle Roots & Music Beginnings

Alex and Kendra share their personal histories—Alex from Polsbo, Kendra from Phoenix—and reflect on their late starts in music, childhood dreams, and the formative role of bands like Tyrex Fire and Blink-182 cover groups.

5:48
7 min

The Birth of Telehealth & Sub Pop Signing

We're just trying to make sense of what's going on in our own world and specifically looking out our window every day and being like, what the hell? What is this?

Highlight
12:24
10 min

Themes of 'Green World Image': Satire & Postmodern Pessimism

It's the type of like postmodern pessimism that I think is very important for us. It's a great vehicle for us humans who are still humans to laugh at this, to cry if you feel like it.

Highlight
22:27
12 min

Creative Process & 'Things I've Killed' Behind the Scenes

We're both guilty and not guilty at the same time. And that's kind of how it feels in this world.

Highlight
High-Impact Quotes
We're both guilty and not guilty at the same time. And that's kind of how it feels in this world.
Alex16:49
Viral: 90.0
It's the type of like postmodern pessimism that I think is very important for us. It's a great vehicle for us humans who are still humans to laugh at this, to cry if you feel like it.
Joe Plummer9:38
Viral: 88.0
We're just trying to make sense of what's going on in our own world and specifically looking out our window every day and being like, what the hell? What is this?
Kendra10:25
Viral: 85.0
Speakers

Host

Joe Plummer

Guests

AlexKendra
Topics Discussed
indie music scene90%satirical songwriting88%tech culture critique87%creative process85%DIY music touring82%urban gentrification80%music production78%mental health and coping75%
People & Brands

Telehealth

other

25xPositive

Joe Plummer

person

20xPositive

Alex

person

18xPositive

Kendra

person

17xPositive

Green World Image

media

12xPositive

Seattle

place

10xPositive

Things I've Killed

media

6xPositive

Kuma Coffee

brand

3xPositive

Sub Pop Records

brand

3xPositive

Polsbo

place

3xPositive

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