Snail Mail the acclaimed indie rock moniker of singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan, made their second stop on their North American tour at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre last Saturday night. Jordan has proven time and time again that she has a knack for that classic indie-rock bedroom sound that so many audiophiles yearn to grace their ears with. Though her latest album, Ricochet, is far from a departure of this sound; it truly is a deconstruction and re-invention of that Snail Mail charm, incorporating heavy 90s and early 2000s grunge rock influences.
After binging the new album over and over; I completely fell in love with its unique sound and songwriting which translated effortlessly on stage last weekend. Opening up for Snail Mail’s set was the vastly talented electronic music producer and synth-pop artist Avalon Emerson. She performed a generous amount of songs from her sophomore album, Written Into Changes, which was released earlier this year, including her airy track “Eden.” Emerson’s bubbly and electrifying tunes got the crowd hyped up for the contrasting yet dreamy set from Snail Mail.
Snail Mail took the limelight with a whimsical stage design setup which portrayed a house and white picket fence behind Lindsey that illuminated beautifully throughout her show. This being my first time getting to experience Snail Mail live; I had high expectations as a long time fan that I confidently think were blown out of the water. Jordan seems to be treating her fans on this tour to an entire play-through of her latest release Ricochet that was sprinkled in throughout her set.
As if this wasn’t exciting enough already, Snail Mail performed an array of hits from her previous two albums; Valentine & Lush. Notable highlights were her performance of her vocally fierce song, “Valentine” as well as her indie classic “Heat Wave.” Closing out the show with the self-titled track “Ricochet,” Snail Mail put the cherry on top to this wonderful setlist with their encore of “Thinning” and “Pristine.”
Snail Mail’s set went by way faster than I would’ve liked but I guess that’s the case when it’s your first time seeing an artist live whose songs you adore so much. The new album is incredibly well produced and arguably her most complex work to date. Its distinct sound feeds into that melancholy and noisy indie rock we all love. It was a marvelously orchestrated show that proves that sometimes great music does not have to be over-complicated; and Snail Mail can successfully create a universe out of pure musical simplicity.
All photos by Andrew Lagunas.
