Snail Mail at Royale, 4/8
It could be my nostalgia goggles talking, but the late 2010s were a particularly special time in the realm of indie rock and pop. A new generation of musicians – many of whom were women – with “confessional” songwriting and 90s inspired instrumentals were coming to the forefront of the genres. As somebody who was a teenager during that time, I can personally attest to this, with artists like Soccer Mommy, Japanese Breakfast, and Clairo serving as my first exposure to the genres back in 2017.
Snail Mail, the project of Baltimore singer songwriter Lindsay Jordan, was one of the musicians spearheading that wave. Her 2016 EP Habit drew the eyes of the music world to her, and the release of her excellent debut album Lush in 2018 confirmed her ticket to indie rock stardom. She was not only praised as the future face of indie rock, but also for being a queer female teenage prodigy in a genre traditionally dominated by straight men. These were all weighty expectations, to be certain, and qualifiers that, no matter how well intentioned, ultimately distracted from the music itself.
If you were plugged in at the time, you might remember hearing about her seemingly endless tour in support of Lush. It was a full-fledged tour across Europe, Asia, and Australia, as well as at least two full circles around the U.S. Fans worried whether the stress of the never-ending touring, constant media attention, and expectations placed on her would get to her – after all, she was still a teenager. Thankfully, after a well-deserved break and accompanying period of relative silence, Jordan reemerged last year with Valentine, her sophomore album that solidified her status as one of the sharpest voices in indie rock today. Supported by Joy Again, Jordan and her band played a sold-out show at the Royale in support of the album.
Jordan and co opened the show with “Valentine,” the titular lead single of the album. Alternating between a swelling chorus and moodier, subdued sections, Lindsay viscerally recalled the feelings of a fresh breakup, when the problems that resulted in the breakup still felt like they could have been fixed: “Why’d you want to erase me, darling valentine / You’ll always know where to find me when you change your mind.” “Ben Franklin” followed, a slick earworm that fully showcased a smokier side of Jordan’s vocal abilities. Between other Valentine highlights – “Automate,” “Glory,” and “Light Blue,” to name a few – Jordan managed to sprinkle in a few tracks from Lush, such as “Speaking Terms,” “Golden Dream,” and of course, “Heat Wave.” The band even executed a brilliant cover of “Tonight, Tonight” by the Smashing Pumpkins.
The last time I saw Snail Mail was in 2019 at The Sinclair, in a small and intimate show that felt scrappy and casual. Jordan looked way more comfortable as a performer this time around, embracing bold outfits (every one I’ve seen her wear on this tour is unbelievably HARD, by the way), theatrics, and larger sounds. More importantly though, she felt more relaxed on the stage. Seeing the artists I loved during that transitory period between adolescence and young adulthood grow both larger and into themselves just feels fundamentally good, and it was great to see this new version of Jordan performing on a bigger stage. Jordan has already made a splash in the music world, but there’s no doubt that she’ll go even further in the future.
