Snail Mail “Ricochets” back on to the music scene

By Marissa Dingess

Back in high school, my best friend Lexxie put on Snail Mail’s “Pristine” one night in my 2015 Honda CR-V as we drove through our local nature reserve. Around town, Lexxie and I zipped through suburbia with our newfound independence, courtesy of my brand-new license and my mother’s keys. With her premium Spotify subscription, which I did not have at the time, she always exposed me to her fascinating music taste, and I would leave every hangout with a new tune to accompany me on my drive to school the following morning.  Yet something particularly special about Lindsey Erin Jordan’s lyricism stuck with me far longer than my 10-minute drive up the road.

I felt as though I had heard the song before it even finished. To this day, when I hear “Pristine,” I am overcome with nostalgia and a deep sense of being understood. The type of understanding Lindsey Jordan can cultivate with her voice seemed like the type of validation the average midwestern 17-year-old girl longs so desperately for. 

Seven years later, the 26-year-old indie phenomenon, Jordan, better known as Snail Mail, released her third, highly-anticipated studio album, “Ricochet,” following the release of “Valentine” in 2021. “Ricochet” debuted on March 27 and will be accompanied by a world tour spanning from the U.S. to Japan this year. 

Each of the record’s 11 tracks distinctly remind longtime fans of the melancholic album, “Lush,” but also bring about a new type of maturity to the table with its folk-like elements and expansive orchestral sounds. The record kicks off with the song “Tractor Beam,” bright and cheery in tone, which details the cessation of a romantic relationship, as noted within the song to be “doomed from the beginning.” I have always appreciated the sheer irony within her sound, for she remains masterful in pairing beaming instrumentals with her solemn lyricism. Jordan may be describing “the end of the line,” but you better believe her compositions will lure you in for more with the hope of a happier ending.

Directly after “Tractor Beam” listeners are met with “My Maker,” a nihilistic story that begs the question: if we all are destined for the end, what is so wrong with starting over? However, that debate does not last long when she surrenders herself to the metaphorical “maker” in the song’s chorus. In a recent interview by Kayla Sandiford with the online London-based music magazine “THE LINE of BEST FIT,” Jordan noted that this song was the “lyrical jumping off point for the record.” In the same interview, she discussed the creation of the song’s music video, where she is featured skyward-bound in a hot air balloon. “I wanted the video to reference the lyrics about mortality, but also the freedom that comes with realizing fate is out of your hands,” Jordan stated.

“Light On Our Feet” particularly stuck out to me, as it is a violin-based tune with a slightly militant drum-based beat. Keeping in theme, this track discusses the upside of that formerly nihilistic world-view. It is a grade-A love song complete with themes of yearning and reminiscence throughout. To me, the album’s fourth track, “Cruise,” is most like her past songs in sound, yet this time with further elevation. The track features an instrumental break, complete with trumpet backed by her original indie orchestrations. “And just for an instant, there’s nothing to lose, forget our existence, and we can just cruise.”

The fifth song, “Agony Freak,” takes the cake for my personal favorite song on the album. I have found it particularly pleasing to run to, with its bouncy backup sounds and slight guitar slashes. I feel that the album’s audio engineer Aron Kobayashi Ritch’s artistic vision clearly shines through the brightest here, with its striking similarities to past projects, such as the band “Momma’s” song “Rodeo.”

​Following “Agony Freak” is the record’s first released song, “Dead End.” The song hit the charts earlier this year in January and was the basis for the album’s anticipation. For her first released single since her hiatus, “Dead End” had me more excited than ever for her return. The song, complete with electric guitar, bass, drums, piano and heavy distortion, established Snail Mail’s return to the scene seamlessly and had fans eager for more.

The seventh track, “Butterfly,” feels like an ode to her past discography. It references feelings of entrapment and growth, like that of the two-winged insects. “Butterfly, they wanna keep you trapped inside a jar, to be near you, and the suit is just another grifter with a card to revere you.” Lyrically, “Butterfly” is one of her strongest on the album despite its brief structure of two verses, a once-repeated chorus, and an outro. “Nowhere,” which proceeds directly after “Butterfly,” continues similarly in theme but with added layers of rejection in romantic relationships, ultimately contributing to the resolution of one’s relationship. “And when I get back there, the crater from my dream, I’m going nowhere, you’ll never catch me.”

Clearly, we are not exactly going “nowhere” with three more songs left on her artistic journey; listeners are met with the album’s ninth song, “Hell,” which resurrects her prior musings on the afterlife as referenced in “My Maker.” In the song “Hell,” Jordan shares her fear of death through the lyrics, “Oh, bouncer in the sky, let me in, I’m scared to die.” Upon the album’s announcement, and my first listen, I was decently surprised to see such vast philosophical and religious references from within. Spanning from her earlier works to now, through her vocals, we have experienced the tumultuous ins-and-outs of her coming-of-age and her experiences with fame and relationships, but what I believe sets this album apart so drastically is her ability to coincide these various themes into one record. Jordan has begged a myriad of questions far more mature than her earlier works, solidifying her as one of indie music’s most impressive songwriters of our generation. I appreciate her intellectual growth so deeply and am elated that she chose to invite fans onward into this journey through her music.

The title track, “Ricochet,” is a song of surrender and change. She describes someone she once knew, possibly even loved, as a “little cliche.” This tune discusses the advancements of one’s fame and the strains that their relationships may suffer from. Ultimately, she stands firm in her feelings of affection towards this person as she sings, “No matter what, or come what may, I bounce right back to ya, ricochet.” The album concludes with its eleventh track, “Reverie,” which provides humorous moments within its lyrical journey. In addition to this, “Reverie’s” lyrics debate her internal feelings of idolization within the music industry. “I’m older, now I’ve realized all my heroes are nothing more than socialites.” I particularly enjoyed her discourse on this topic and I hope in albums to come that her stance on various industry-driven issues present themselves through song. She has a rare ability of intense relatability through her lyrics. Through these bursts of musician-based conversation, she lends a concrete hand to the listener’s side, almost as if she is reminding her listeners to stay critical of their consumption while appreciating the artists they adore. 

I feel honored to have been a fan for as many years as I have. She has grown with me just as much as I have grown with her in my ear. From the melancholic voice I heard in my high school Honda, to the woman I saw on the Stone Pony Summer Stage, Jordan’s discography is a rare breed that stands the test of time. From youth to adulthood, I am delighted to snag my tickets to her upcoming tour and see what deeply existential question she pairs with upbeat indie orchestrations next.

I give this album four out of five stars!

Marissa Dingess is a senior musical theater and journalism major