ALBUM REVIEW: SNAIL MAIL – Valentine

Matador

Released: 05.11.21

Valentine, the title track of Lindsey Jordan’s sophomore record, lands like a wrecking ball with a triumphant chorus, hitting a high that the rest of the record never really flirts with, but never really tries to either.

This is a more reflective collection, chronicling Jordan’s stint in rehab on the sassy Ben Franklin and the heartbreak of a lost lover on the delicate, folky, Mia. Still only 20-years-old, much of Valentine was conceived during that rehab stint without instruments, Jordan tabulating by memory the arrangements on the likes of the synth-heavy Madonna and Forever (Sailing) which bubbles along nicely, avoiding the more troubled waters of the mournful acoustic guitar of c. et al. All-in-all, an understated triumph.