Photo courtesy of nme.com
Many San Luis Obispo High School students are fans of indie rock artist Snail Mail, and her album “Lush.” It’s an angsty delve into many emotions that high school students are familiar with. This makes sense seeing as the person behind the name Snail Mail, Lindsey Jordan, was a teenager when she wrote the album.
Her newest album, “Valentine”, was released on November 5. It’s a more mature and deeper look into Jordan’s experience with love. She delves into the pain and joy that comes with a complicated relationship.
“Valentine captures such niche emotion in simple terms, Lindsey Jordan is a very talented songwriter,” said senior Arantxa Covarrubias.
In the opening track and first single of the album, “Valentine”, Jordan introduces the concept of a complicated relationship with a woman. One of the most impactful lyrics comes from the first verse: “Careful in that room / Those parasitic cameras, don’t they stop to stare at you?” Being a well respected figure who is in a queer relationship is a very hot seat to be in. Society isn’t in a place where it’s a totally comfortable position to be in. Jordan’s love interest in this song seems to want to keep their relationship a secret from the public, which is a subject that’s not often tackled in popular music.
Close to the halfway point of the album the track “Forever (Sailing)” dives into Jordan’s obsessive relationship with her ex-lover. “Time tends to pass and make a joke of things, but / Eleven months and still / Some nights I rеach for you” is sung overy funky percussion and synths. It’s really refreshing to see a realistic portrayal of a a queer relationship, rather than romanticization.
The closing track, “Mia”, is a gut-wrenching final statement from Jordan to her lover. Jordan’s voice on this track is so devastating to listen to, it sounds like she just finished crying before recording the vocals for this song. The lyrics “Lost love, so strange / And heaven’s not real, babe / But I wish that I / Could lay down next to you” drags out over beautiful strings and tug hard at the heartstrings. It’s difficult not to shed a tear while listening to this track.
Overall, this album is a solid follow-up after the critically acclaimed “Lush”. There’s nothing that will blow many people out of the water, but there’s definitely beauty in the simplicity of Jordan’s lyricism paired with the complex issues she hits hard in this album.
“Valentine” is worth a listener’s time.
