Snail Mail // Lush

Snail Mail

Lush

Matador Records

4.5/5 Stars

Honest and deeply impassioned, the debut album from Snail Mail hits nearly every target it aims for. The fact all ten of these beautiful tracks are coming from a 19-year-old woman makes it all the more remarkable (to the older generation, at least). The band is, in a very real sense, entirely Lindsey Jordan, the Ellicott City, Maryland songwriter who self-released her first EP, Habit in 2016. She follows that up with Lush, this time courtesy of Matador Records. Jordan's songwriting can be peerlessly poignant — just take a look at the almost cinematic buildup of "Stick" and you can confirm it for yourself. She's able to take on complex emotional themes with the simplest of metaphors ("Deep sea dive, got down but you stayed alive, it's only you down there, you and that bend") like nothing at all. The instrumentation deftly fades from 90s-esque full-ahead indie rock ("Pristine") to minimal guitar strums ("Anytime"). It's never disjointed, breathing as one cohesive sound, each able to break the listener's heart instantly. Landing such a successful album this early in her career, the future looks uncharacteristically bright for Jordan.
— Nick Warren