Snail Mail is the indie rock solo project of Lindsey Erin Jordan, a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Baltimore, United States, who is born in 1999 and raised in Ellicott City, Maryland. The project begins in 2015, when Jordan is 15, and develops from her early self-recorded work into a solo recording and touring act associated with indie rock, indie pop, lo-fi, folk, pop and rock.

Early life and formation

Jordan starts playing guitar at the age of five and plays in her church band and school jazz band. She also takes part in hockey during her youth. Raised in the Roman Catholic faith, she begins writing songs in the seventh grade and books her own performances at restaurants and coffee shops. Her interest in punk rock grows after seeing Paramore on the Riot! tour when she is eight. She later turns down admission to St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn to focus on music.

Recording and releases

Snail Mail first releases the self-recorded EP Stick in 2015, with Ryan Vieira on bass and Shawn Durham on drums. The group plays its first live show in October 2015 at Baltimore's Unregistered Nurse festival, alongside Sheer Mag, Screaming Females and Priests.

In 2016, Snail Mail releases the six-track EP Habit on Sister Polygon Records after a short tour in July. The opening track, “Thinning,” receives attention from indie press coverage. Jordan signs with Matador Records in September 2017 and performs a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music.

The debut studio album Lush follows in 2018 and receives positive reviews. In 2019, Snail Mail tours internationally and releases a Simlish version of “Pristine” for The Sims 4: Island Living. Matador also reissues Habit digitally with a cover of “The 2nd Most Beautiful Girl in the World” by Courtney Love’s band.

The second studio album Valentine arrives in 2021 and is noted for critical acclaim and year-end list appearances. Jordan postpones original US and UK tour dates because of surgery for vocal cord polyps. In 2023, Snail Mail curates and performs at Snail Mail's Valentine Fest in Baltimore. The EP Valentine (Demos) appears later that year and includes four unreleased demo tracks, among them “Easy Thing.”

A third studio album, Ricochet, is scheduled for release in 2026.

Style and influences

Snail Mail's early releases are characterised by sparse, lo-fi, guitar-driven arrangements. Valentine expands the sound with synthesizers, strings and samples. Jordan's songwriting is described as candid and introspective, with a laid-back and melodically distinctive style.

Her influences include Hayley Williams, Liz Phair, Avril Lavigne, Fiona Apple, Cat Power, Elliott Smith, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, My Bloody Valentine and Sheer Mag. She names Mary Timony as her favourite guitarist and receives lessons from her. She is also influenced by Marnie Stern, Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn and Mark Kozelek.

Other activity

Jordan appears at the 22nd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2023. In 2024, she makes her acting debut in the psychological horror film I Saw the TV Glow and contributes a cover of the Smashing Pumpkins song “Tonight, Tonight” to the soundtrack.