Snail Mail

18 years is surely enough time to figure out how to write a halfway decent indie rock album, Ross

That’s probably true!

I’ve been making music since 14 and I never half assed it

Eh maybe I’m just getting old and like everything now

Eh maybe I just want to like this more than I do.

I love pristine and some other tracks but I find myself switching the album to something less monochromatic

xp
Ross – just start playing Mayfield’s latest LP; she sings like Mascis Jr.!

Will do. Morris you’re a cool poster

Thx, likewise!

initial reaction to the album was negative but it has grown on me a lot. not a great album, but some keepers on these for sure. particularly like Speaking Terms and Full Control.

I love pristine

This thread is baffling to me, Lush is definitely up there for me on 2018 records. The Cranberries aren't quite what i'm feeling, but i love the referential matrix that Ryan Dombal made in his pfork review, although some might think it's a bit overwrought.

There are echoes of early Liz Phair in Lush’s stark guitars and its tightrope walk between despair and enlightenment, but there are also flashes of the Replacements’ Paul Westerberg at his most wrung-out, and Paramore’s Hayley Williams crinkled emo soulfulness, and Fiona Apple’s ferocity, and Taylor Swift’s savvy heartache, and the solemn quietude of Frank Ocean’s Blonde.

Not sure about Fiona Apple and Frank Ocean, but the rest? Definitely.

def don’t hear hayley williams here at all

I have not heard this album yet but I will now take a listen for the hope of a flash of Paul Westerberg,

let us know if you find it

Her voice which I like a lot reminds me of someone else. An indie lady from the 90s, I don't think it is Juliana Hatfield. Pristine is indeed very nice. And the 3rd song "Speaking Terms" is such a pure, vulnerable beauty.

Didn't find it (if there's any reference I would add it's that 'Stick' reminded me slightly of Mark Kozelek ha)

but Christ, Habit is a bloody wonderful EP, esp. given she was 17.

and hearing Kozelek on 'Let's Find an Out' and 'Full Control' too but maybe I'm just looking for it artificially now

I'm revisiting Lush, and digging it a lot more than I did on previous tries. Not sure what's changed -- maybe I'm just in the right mood? -- but it's hitting the right notes this morning.

new cover "The 2nd Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (originally by Courtney Love - the band not the person): https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/the-2nd-most-beautiful-girl-in-the-world/

At her best, there's something about the slightly flat(?) tone of the music colliding with the slightly more flat(??) tone of her voice, in those big swells of volume, to winning effect.

chronic live

https://pitchfork.com/tv/22-over-under/watch-snail-mail-rate-gritty-escargot-and-lil-xan/

Hates Gritty, loves Lil Xan.

So done with her now.

fuck "pristine" rules

i love the way this record is produced... clean guitars and lots of space

The album and EPs are so good but all the live performances on YT are absolutely brutal, seems like she struggles to keep her voice healthy.

I saw her live. she was absolute garbage

pristine could just fade out at 3:30 but gets 10x awesomer

late to the party here, but wow this album is amazing

i just found out that these guys are opening for Parquet Courts here in the Los Angeles area in about 20 days. how did i miss this gig until now?

I somehow missed PC playing with a symphony orchestra here a couple months ago

Golden Dream has the strangest effect on me, taking me back like ten years to a lovely place.

keep meaning to dig in to this one, only heard the single but I watched her Pitchfork Over/Under the other day and she's such a delightful dork.

The album and EPs are so good but all the live performances on YT are absolutely brutal, seems like she struggles to keep her voice healthy.

There's a video of "Pristine" from a Pitchfork festival. Not sure what's going on there, but it's an exceptionally uncomfortable performance. Great song though...

anything under the horizon? New album for example..

Apparently a new album called Valentine was due out on 11/5 and started to get teased, but all the references to it got pulled. I don't know if vinyl delays or what, but most refences to it disappeared. There was a thread about it on reddit just yesterday, with a link to a (now deleted) product listing with the cover:

https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/pkzsgw/snail_mail_teases_new_album_valentine/

Thanks

Wayback machine caught it during the brief time it was up on the band's site, but it's gone now. Probably someone jumped the gun, so maybe an announcement is imminent.

https://web.archive.org/web/20210909132117/https://www.snailmail.band/home

Someone wrote they went for a more pop direction on reddit. :(

Saw that comment but since nothing has been released at all yet I'm not sure that's based on anything more than maybe extrapolating from an interview or something, I'm not going to get too concerned about one comment like that.

the album... does exist in finished form...

Officially announced today! Video for title track is out, though I'll have to wait until tonight to check it out.

01 Valentine
02 Ben Franklin
03 Headlock
04 Light Blue
05 Forever (Sailing)
06 Madonna
07 c. et. al.
08 Glory
09 Automate
10 Mia

dynamics!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxarOZ0JBcc

Lol not sure I want to sign in to verify my age while I'm at work, guessing that's one I'll have to wait on.

it's bloody and a bit violent yeah

Well, it's ok. Pretty generic imo

This is the worst single they've released, probably?

It's like "Heat Wave" stripped of the catchiness.

weird this is much catchier to me

it feels more linear to me so i can see why ppl might find it less interesting than the previous record. that said i kinda love this, chorus really works for me

First record sorta limped to the finish after being frontloaded, so if this is more linear/consistent and much of it's in the vein of "Valentine" I'm buying.

the only thing i really liked on the debut was "heat wave" & this is unfortunately not as good as that

"heat wave" always felt super familiar too, i could never figure out if it was actually ripping something