Snail Mail – ‘Ricochet’ album review: Slow and steady yields solid results
If five years is far too long for you to wait for a new release from an artist, then perhaps don’t start investing all of your energy into becoming a die-hard Snail Mail fan. Lindsey Jordan has made it abundantly clear that time and separation from the world are what she requires to be able to produce her best work, and Ricochet is a perfect example of the benefits she can reap from these simple requests.
The Skinny: With her second album, Valentine, people were tipping Snail Mail for greatness, but with that comes a certain expectation to keep producing records on a regular and consistent basis. A brief hiatus to receive surgery for vocal polyps and the subsequent recovery period stood in the way of this happening as quickly as many would have hoped, but at the same time, fans weren’t expecting to be left hanging for half a decade without new material.
That being said, what Jordan has emphasised about her approach to work is that good songwriting doesn’t come without the utmost care being put into it, and as a self-confessed perfectionist, it was necessary for Ricochet to be cooking in the oven for a considerable period before it was ready to be released to the world. With a far greater grasp on society and her place in it, her third effort benefits through being her tightest on both a lyrical and musical front.
There’s a real ‘90s worship that can be heard from the outset, despite the fact that Jordan barely experienced the decade herself, having been born in 1999, but this isn’t mere sonic revivalism or a meandering tribute to a bygone era. There’s elements of the melodies of Smashing Pumpkins, who she is a noted fan of, and then some of the tenderness of REM thrown in for good measure, all of which coalesces in a way that feels like a genuine admiration for the golden age of alternative rock.
There’s a wistfulness to much of what Jordan offers, especially on the first half of the record, with some of the arrangements and production flourishes adding layers that weren’t previously such a prominent part of her earlier material, with string sections coating many of the songs with a majestic touch. On top of this, her voice has developed a much broader range than it ever had before as a result of having to learn to speak and sing again, and with that, there appears to be even more confidence emanating from this aspect of her craft.
Sometimes there’s a sense of repetitiveness across the first half of the record, with many of the songs beginning to blur into one by the time lead single ‘Dead End’ rolls around, but the second half comes in strong with some of her grittiest tracks to date in ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Hell’, while closing track ‘Reverie’ has a gorgeous chord progression that sublimely caps off an album that clearly had plenty of care packed into its creation.
Standout Track: ‘Hell’
The Verdict: Snail Mail’s earliest work was scattered with songwriting gems, although there was always a sign that better things were still to come from a promising young talent. Ricochet still leaves a few things to be desired, but it’s another strong step forward from a prodigious talent who evidently still has a masterpiece in her to share.
Release Date: March 27th, 2026 | Producer: Aron Kobayashi-Ritch | Label: Matador
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