Former indie-rock wonderkid Lindsey Jordan, better known as Snail Mail, has just released her new single, ‘Dead End’. Alongside a music video, ‘Dead End’ is the first song from her new album - ‘Ricochet’, out March 27th. The single holds both Snail Mail’s signature essence and a clearly honed, matured sound, being her first original release since 2021’s ‘Valentine’.
The video, directed by Jordan and Elsie Richter, begins like a camping home video. Shot in the dead of night, the calm visuals are quickly disrupted by sparky fireworks and a mysteriously glowing figure. It hides behind trees and taps shoulders, taunting viewers as well as Snail Mail, who sings of an evasive past relationship, “burned in [her] heart, old friend”.
As the tempo hastens, so does her urgent search for the figure - paced by hungry guitar riffs. A mark of Jordan’s matured sound, the glittering, smooth guitar is reminiscent of popular 90’s rock, like Radiohead and Pavement. Its driving crescendo punctuates cinematographic flickers; the lyrics’ tumultuous emotions are carried by hopeless blue hues, an angry red glow, and Jordan’s search - led by a fire rocket.
The supercut disturbs the peaceful dark, just as Snail Mail’s words break through a lack of communication: “Do you ever wonder where I’ve been? / ’Cause I still wonder about you”. Her explosive lyricism echoes the visual outburst, singing of how “Sunlight rocks [her] to oblivion”.
Together, ‘Dead End’s visuals, lyrics, and dynamic guitar melodies perfectly mark her re-entry to the indie-rock scene, sparking great anticipation for the aptly explosively titled ‘Ricochet’.
Evie Johnson
Image: 'Dead End' Official Single Cover
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