Snail Mail is My Comfort Food
A celestial night with Lindsey Jordan & the band at Headliners Music Hall.
There aren’t many things I find myself revisiting, my brain loves change in most forms. But two things I catch myself slipping into, are cosmic brownies & sad albums. Snail Mails entire discography has never been a stranger to me, specifically speaking the album ‘Lush’. Lindsey Jordan, under the moniker ‘Snail Mail’ is a Baltimore, MA based artist– with a impressively global fan base. Releasing her first E.P. at only 16, she attracted a hyper sensitive audience at a young age.
Her first ever album Habit, explores the interesting dynamics most teenagers (or people who once were) can relate to. This ‘made in the garage’ centric E.P. has a beautiful distress throughout each song. Sharp undertones of high emotions, and the catastrophe of being a teen are ever present. While impressive its suppressor, has to be the 2018 release of ‘Lush’. As I find myself on the cusp of yet another heartbreak, I’ll admit this is the first thing I tune into. Something about it has always seemed a little too relatable. A full on love letter to the audience, with raw gut wrenching lyrics. We see this paragon unfold under the ominous gaze of Lindsey on the cover - & notably better sound quality from past releases. I think it’s obvious as you delve into the first song titled ‘Pristine’ that Lindsey is someone that understands and is honest about feeling too much, especially for others – expressing a sort of paralyzing relationship with love. This sort of vulnerability tracks well with emotionally centered young adults (me included). While I love a feel good album I have to admit listening to music like Snail Mail is a nice reminder I’m not isolated in my suffering of the loss of someone. An euphonical ode to the ghosts of our past.
When we think indie heartbreak, we often think of artists like Bon Iver, The Smiths, or (arguably) Lana Del Rey. Not to nit-pick at social issues, but we often overlook these ‘cult classics’ only sing about heteronormative relationships. Without doing it intentionally these artists lack relevancy to their openly queer listeners. This is what I find best about Lindsey’s work, it is radically different in the sense it sings about queer heartbreak. There is something to be said about the fragility and difference in this type of heartbreak than heterosexual ones. ‘Lush’ & its beautiful soundtrack touch on every aspect of this dynamic. The hot & cold relationships, confusion, & shame that comes with being queer.
I got the amazing opportunity to shoot Snail Mail at Headliners music hall last weekend. I played it risky and shot with film, & unfortunately it did disappoint. Something funky happened when I was developing, & I lost almost all of the photos. I still managed to snag some great pictures which I hope capture Lindsey’s emotions, and angst bursting at the seams throughout her performance. I promise I took pictures of the rest of the amazingly talented band – but they did not come out. The pictures didn’t turn out the best they could have, but I still got to experience one of my bucket list bands. I’ve turned to Snail Mail after every heart break & bad day – so seeing them live was a formidable affair (and yes I had a cosmic brownie in my back pocket).
