It brought me great delight to find out Snail Mail, AKA Lindsey Jordan, would soon be back with the follow up to her excellent 2018 debut ‘Lush‘. In the period since that release, the singer-songwriter saw herself thrust into the limelight and left to deal with the after-effects at the age of just 18. Indeed, the initial concepts for this album were conceived during a 6-week stint in treatment trying to deal with this and other life-altering events.
With all that in mind the charm of “Valentine” takes on an even bigger meaning. Cinematic keys and echoey guitars build an attractive quiet/loud dynamic that allows Jordan‘s vocals to soar. Without falling into familiar tropes about how much the Maryland artist has matured since her initial break out, the vocal delivery can’t be ignored as it bursts with confidence and sounds more accomplished than anything we have heard before.
Director Josh Coll has created a perfect visual companion to the track reinterpreting the track’s themes of devotion and disappointment into a 17th-century looking evening gala complete with upper classes and servants. There is blood, there is a lot of cake but above all else, there is that soaring chorus.
“Valentine” is the title track from the upcoming new Snail Mail album.
TRACKS:
