by Ryan Meyer (@meyer_ryan_twt)
My most recent listen to Valentine, Snail Mail’s latest record and the follow-up to 2018’s Lush, soundtracked roughly forty minutes of a train ride from Chicago to nowhere as the omicron variant likely swirled around me and the train wouldn’t stop honking its fucking horn. Not exactly the best environment to try and enjoy a record that is undoubtedly one of the best of the year, but luckily the songs of Valentine transcend such distractions and form a cohesive sophomore release.
Whereas Lindsey Jordan’s guitar playing might have taken center stage in the past, and rightfully so, the new release sees her singing voice commanding more attention. Over subtle guitars, Jordan’s voice stands at the forefront of closer “Mia,” and matches the grandiosity of a string section that nearly envelopes the guitar. The driving indie rock songs haven’t disappeared, though. “Glory” uses fuzzed-out guitars and has a brief solo that is probably the best guitar moment on the record.
The best song on the record, “Forever (Sailing),” is almost lounge-like in essence, with its slinky drums and a chorus where, in the midst of all its beauty, the guitars are the last thing on my mind. It’s just the perfect tempo for the drums to stretch out and for piano to act as the main melodic instrument, rather than guitar, as it does in other places on the record. The slow build of the lead single and title track eventually explodes into the loudest statement on Valentine, essentially shifting between the new direction of this second record and the Snail Mail of old.
Newly added to the mix are finger-picked acoustic tracks, which wouldn’t stand out if not for the expansive instrumentation previously unseen in Jordan’s work. Pianos and strings make the chorus of “Light Blue” more than an acoustic piece that could be forgotten, tucked away between two great songs in “Headlock” and “Forever (Sailing).” Speaking of “Headlock,” the song takes all the great aspects of Jordan’s musicianship, both past and present, with seemingly-alternatively tuned guitars mixing with piano and prominent vocals.
Valentine stands to be one of my favorite records of the year, and is definitely in the discussion as one of the best indie rock releases of the year. Jordan has expanded Snail Mail’s sound to include new instrumentation and it just works.