Valentine - Snail Mail: Review
Snail Mail
is the indie rock and singer-songwriter alias of musician Lindsey Jordan. She first turned heads in 2016 with her Habit EP before signing with Matador records and releasing a fan favorite debut album Lush in 2018. Now three and a half years later we are finally getting the follow-up, which quickly became one of the most anticipated new albums of the year for many young indie fans.
Review by Lav:
Every time one of these records comes out I suppose it's a chance to redeem myself from the narrative that I hate them. By "one of these" I mean a young indie singer-songwriter girl that is probably huge on tik tok and with people who have Smiths fan accounts on Instagram. Faye Webster, Clairo, Caroline Polachek to some extent and pretty much the entirety of boygenius. Every once in a while when I toss out a good review for one of these albums like Phoebe Bridgers last year or Faye Webster earlier this year I hope that it can turn the course, but no. I still get plenty of Twitter replies talking about how I'm a tasteless arrogant music critic which in some way work to sort of make all my points about these albums even stronger. From a songwriting standpoint they run over the same territory over and over and over again yet somehow the instrumentals are even more generic and predictable, I've heard so many of these albums that they start to blend together and it becomes hard to even remember what song is from Lush, Sling, Historian or Atlanta Millionaires Club. But every time I hope they will come out with something strikingly original and deeply compelling, more Torres and Cassandra Jenkins than Julien Baker or Soccer Mommy.
So now that I've pissed everyone off, I think this album is okay. I thought Lush was okay and even flashed some potential. The major improvement Lindsey has taken is vocally where she has really come into her own and channeled the intimate fragility of her vocals into some really emotional moments. The lead single, title track and opener lives up to all the hype as an infectious loud/quiet/loud opener whose hook reminds me of a lot of the other artists who are bringing back 00's pop punk recently. She even mention in this track the fact that she's "older now" and that growth shines through with a great vocal performance. As good of a start to the record is, from here on out it gets much more inconsistent.
There are some other songs on the record I really enjoyed starting with Glory which seems to already be separating itself from the rest of the deep cuts among fans. It's one of the catchiest songs on the record with a blurry guitar bridge that's surprisingly 90's and all the instrumentation just sounds so good together. While the song ends before it really sounds finished I thoroughly enjoy it while it's on. Forever (Sailing) is next and it kicks off almost like a trip hop song before quickly introducing some 80's synth lines and turning its groove into a lovesick hook. It's one of my favorite instrumentals on the album and the song attached to it isn't half bad either. Finally Mia is a very earnest and emotional finale to the album that sees Lindsey facing the harsh realities of growing up and moving on head first. While the actual sound of the song itself may be pretty overdone for singer-songwriters the vocals cut through everything with an incredibly satisfying emotional pull.
On the other side of that emotional coin the record doesn't always do a great job in that department. There are a few tried and true ballads in the mix but they mostly fail to make an impact. Light Blue sounds like a song I've heard other artists do dozens of times and while c. et. al is an improvement but still far from a highlight. While I love a lustful song erupting with youthful emotions as much as the next gal, this song never reaches the emotional high point you'd expect it to. For a song with so much angst to it there's just no catharsis or eruption to be found and the song feels incomplete as a result.
The other big single Ben Franklin was one I was much less crazy about despite the fact that the way Lindsey strains her vocals can be intoxicating. It sort of just bobs back and forth aimlessly at a steady pace without any compelling refrains to be found. Finally there's Madonna a decent track with some pretty compelling lyricism but instrumentally it just refuses to settle on a sound or even a cohesive progression. It's all over the place and also features some of the roughest mixing choices on the record.
Valentine is a fine album with some decent songs and some pretty good vocals, but I find it hard to describe anything here as special or impactful. Once again I'm left with a record that doesn't really play into the strengths of it's own artistry and I'm sure my Twitter DMs will feature some angry Snail Mail stans after I post this. But unlike some of her contemporaries I really do see star potentially Lindsey particularly as a vocalist. If she ever chooses to embark on a more thorough and expansive album journey I think it could be really really good. For now I think this is just alright. 5.5/10
This cover is extremely simple and effective. It gets the job done, showcasing the artist and putting the branding front and center but it's a little boring. I like the styling and the fonts and colors but it feels as if something substantial is missing. Maybe some depth or texture in the background would've been helpful but it's still a good cover. 7/10
