SNAIL MAIL RELEASES NEW SINGLE ‘MADONNA’
WATCH LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO,
NEW ALBUM VALENTINE OUT NOVEMBER 5 VIA MATADOR
Early praise for Valentine:
“Valentine’ continues the tradition of Lindsey Jordan painting vivid pictures of love and obsession with such accuracy that you can’t help but see yourself in her stories” – NME
“Heart-shaped pop” – MOJO ****
“Snail Mail’s prowess in crafting a modern sound filled with classic themes makes Valentine feel simultaneously familiar and fresh” – Loud & Quiet 8/10
“her songrwriting craft and palette has expanded, taking in synth soundscapes, slinky r&b and hook-laden pop rock” – Uncut 8/10
“… this is pop music with a deft alt-rock edge and Lindsey’s proving she’s more than a master of it” – Dork ****
(credit: Tina Tyrell, hi-res)
Snail Mail (Lindsey Jordan) has released ‘Madonna’, the third preview from her forthcoming new album Valentine which is out November 5 via Matador.
Lindsey says, “I am excited to share this one! In summation, it’s about why love can’t
exist between a person and a concept of a person. Remove the pedestal and you might
realize there was never anything there at all.”
‘Madonna’, follows the previously released ‘Ben Franklin’, and the album’s title track, ‘Valentine’. Both singles received widespread critical praise with The Times calling the latter “… a fantastically fun, Eighties-tinged synth-pop belter from the American indie cult star, real name Lindsay Jordan. She doesn’t sound hugely bothered about splitting up with a lover on this zinger of a tune. ‘Valentine’ was called described by the Guardian as having “a wrecking ball of a chorus”, and the Evening Standard called it “worth the wait”.
A hugely anticipated follow-up, Valentine was written and produced by 22-year-old Lindsey Jordan and co produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee). Written in 2019-2020 the album is filled with romance, heartbreak, blood, sweat and tears. But Valentine is poised and self-possessed, channelling its anger and dejection into empowering revenge fantasies and rewriting the narrative of its own fate. Stitched throughout it is the melodrama and the camp Jordan so deftly utilizes to offset her pain.
The sonic leap forward can be heard from the first moments of the title track – the whispered voice and eerie sci-fi synths erupting into a full-on stadium-sized adrenaline-rush of a chorus. From there it’s all go – with digitized electronic inflected anthems, swooning baroque FM rockers, smoldering slow-jam R&B and some of the most gorgeous and heart-rending finger-picked guitar ballads this side of Elliott Smith. The star of the show however is Lindsey’s voice – no longer the prodigal wunderkind, her vocals and words are rawer, deeper, snarlier and more feeling than ever before. Valentine is the follow up to Snail Mail’s first full length, Lush. Her debut, written at just 17, turned the world on to an alarming talent. “Lindsey Jordan is arguably alt-rock’s most exciting new name,” said The Sunday Times. The Observer noted her “powerfully evocative vocals” NME referred to Jordan as “… the next-great American songwriter” and MTV UK called her “the next generation of indie-rock”.
The album was described alternately as “… the slow-burning rock album of summer” (i-D), “Capturing early adulthood in all its messy splendor” (Crack) and “A treat” (Stylist). Lush was named one of the Albums of the Year by BBC Arts & Entertainment, The Guardian, NME, Line Of Best Fit, Crack, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and many more, selling 200,000 units and spurring US, UK and EU tour sellouts. She became a breakout star and was included in Billboard’s 21 under 21 along with Billie Eilish, Khalid and more. Known in equal measures for her masterful guitar playing and her songwriting gravitas, The New York Times called Jordan “an innovator, creating fresh expectations for what a complex artistic statement from a young voice can sound like today.” With Valentine, Snail Mail delivers on all of that promise.
VALENTINE TRACK LISTING
1. Valentine
2. Ben Franklin
3. Headlock
4. Light Blue
5. Forever (Sailing)
6. Madonna
7. c. et al.
8. Glory
9. Automate
10. Mia
