Snail Mail – ‘Lush’
At just 18 years old, Lindsey Jordan released her debut album under the moniker Snail Mail. After supporting the likes of indie folk project Waxahatchee and dream-pop favourites Beach Fossils, Jordan signed with Matador Records and released Lush.
‘Pristine’, the first single from the album, was an instant hit and threw Jordan further into the industry. The track’s soft, vulnerable lyrics detail the raw post-break-up feeling, confessing: “And if you do find someone better, I’ll still see you in everything, for always, tomorrow and all time”. Paired with indie rock guitar, its lyrics are honest and accessible, poetic but never pretentious. At the time, Jordan described the record as “really self-aware” during an interview with Under The Radar, and ‘Pristine’ is just one example of a sense of blushing behind the mic adding charm to her honesty.
Jordan continued her wave of success with follow-up singles ‘Heat Wave’ and ‘Let’s Find An Out’. For ‘Heat Wave’, the lyrics are as melancholic as its predecessor, as Jordan charts “feeling low” and tires of trying to move on, but the track is slightly more optimistic than ‘Pristine’, hopeful that her ex-partner finds another love to swallow them whole.
Reflecting on her work, Jordan wrote that the album “emphasises all the things I was feeling really extremely at the time” and that she was “getting into relationships or getting out of relationships”. This theme of vulnerability and doubt shines through in each track, forming a record that is, at its core, both a breakup album and a coming-of-age.
Adding to this is Jordan venturing into the uncertain terrain of the music industry for the first time: “I was also writing about myself and how I was throwing myself in the music industry and feeling a lot at once, going through a lot at this supernatural speed. It all kind of manifested in my work”. In this regard, she earnestly encapsulates that relatable imposter feeling.
The final single and standout track, ‘Let’s Find An Out’, embodies all of this uncertainty but also represents the record at its softest. With glowing imagery and plucky guitar riffs, Jordan charts the process of starting anew. She continues the heatwave imagery, encouraging herself to “burn out when you want”. The culmination of the three singles, the track sees Lindsey coming to terms with her new state of uncertainty in relationships and in her place in the music industry.
The album-exclusive tracks are just as captivating and consistent in theme and sound. ‘Intro’ fittingly introduces the themes of lost love and a bleeding heart, and ‘Speaking Terms’ sees Jordan pair playful guitar riffs and percussive elements with a decision to “leave things on speaking terms and I’ll see you around”. ‘Full Control’, meanwhile, is a defiant track about regaining autonomy over her emotions, while the penultimate track ‘Deep Sea’ is a downtempo extended metaphor that flits between loneliness and acceptance and paves the way for the final anthem.
The closer, ‘Anytime’, is one of the most instrumentally sparse tracks on the LP, Jordan’s layered vocals are accompanied only by guitar. The simplicity of the track only enhances Snail Mail’s vulnerable outpouring of emotion. Her protagonist has come full circle, repeating the words to ‘Intro’ in the opening verse and dejectedly re-voicing the question, “Do you love me?” The repetition reinforces the theme that runs throughout the record — Jordan’s unshakable longing for her lost lover.
After a melancholic opening, Jordan’s indie guitar becomes brighter as she declares, “I want better for you”, in a moment of cathartic release. Amidst the heartbreak and yearning is a glimmer of hope and acceptance. Still, Jordan ends the record making peace with the sentiment that she’s “gotten to know the quiet” and still prefers her ex-lover anytime. ‘Anytime’ fittingly ends Lush as simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking as every song before it. It’s equal parts endearing and devastating.
Lush is essential listening for fans of the sad girl indie genre. It’s a lush portrait of heartbreak, a soft indie rock masterpiece, and a masterful blend of dreamy sounds and bittersweet lyricism. As Snail Mail continues to venture further into indie pop, her cultural relevance is unwavering as a pioneer of the new wave of sad indie, and Lush is the genre at its best.
