Snail Mail is the American indie rock solo project of guitarist and singer-… Read Full Bio ↴Snail Mail is the American indie rock solo project of guitarist and singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan. In 2015, she started playing her songs live with her band and released the EP Habit in 2016. Snail Mail's debut studio album, Lush, was released on June 8, 2018. Snail Mail's music is heavily guitar-inspired.

Lindsey Jordan released her self-recorded solo EP Sticki in 2015 and played several live shows with her new band as Snail Mail. She was joined by Ryan Vieira playing bass and Shawn Durham on the drums. After completing one short DIY tour in 2016, Jordan released the EP titled Habit on Sister Polygon Records, which gained traction after being featured on several major US music sites, and they signed with Ground Control Touring. Pitchfork added the EP's opening track "Thinning” to their Best New Track series.

Snail Mail, with bassist Alex Bass and drummer Ray Brown, toured North America extensively 2017 supporting Priests, Girlpool, Waxahatchee and Beach Fossils. Jordan signed with Matador Records in September 2017 and the group's debut full-length album Lush was released on June 8th, 2018. The Snail Mail band played their first headliner tour in the beginning of 2018.

In 2019, Habit was rereleased via Matador Records along with the song “The 2nd Most Beautiful Girl In The World”.

On November 5, 2021, Snail Mail released their second studio album, Valentine, via Matador Records. The album hit number 61 on US Billboard charts and number 35 on UK and Australian charts and it was nominated for two Libera awards in 2022.

On her 2018 debut album Lush, seventeen-year-old Lindsey Jordan sang “I’m in full control / I’m not lost / Even when it’s love / Even when it’s not”. Her natural ability to be many things at once resonated with a lot of people. The contradiction of confidence and vulnerability, power and delicacy, had the impact of a wrecking ball when put to tape. It was an impressive and unequivocal career-making moment for Jordan.

On Valentine, her sophomore album out November 5th on Matador, Lindsey solidifies and defines this trajectory in a blaze of glory. In 10 songs, written over 2019-2020 by Jordan alone, we are taken on an adrenalizing odyssey of genuine originality in an era in which “indie” music has been reduced to gentle, homogenous pop composed mostly by ghostwriters. Made with careful precision, Valentine shows an artist who has chosen to take her time. The reference points are broad and psychically stirring, while the lyrics build masterfully on the foundation set by Jordan’s first record to deliver a deeper understanding of heartbreak.

Current accompanying band
Alex Bass – bass
Ray Brown – drums
Benjamin Kaunitz - guitar, backing vocals
Madeline McCormack - guitar, keyboards

Past members
Ryan Vieira – bass
Shawn Durham – drums

Speaking Terms
Snail Mail Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, don't say it now
Wait, don't just give up
Move from your old house
This city can be so loud

Say what you gotta
Sleep in somehow

Inside of reverie how do you know
When you've gone too far?
And it's all ash and dust
Well then I won't let you take me for a ride

Say what you gotta
Sleep in somehow
Leave things on speaking terms
And I'll see you around

It's all ash and dust
And I won't you let you take me for a ride
And it's all over us
And still I won't let you take me for a ride

Hoo-oo
Hoo-oo

Overall Meaning

In Snail Mail's "Speaking Terms," the singer is addressing a former lover, urging them not to give up on their relationship just yet. The singer suggests that the couple should move away from their old surroundings, as the city's noise and chaos may be contributing to their conflict. The singer then implores their ex-partner to say what they need to say and find a way to get some rest despite all of the emotional turmoil. Throughout the lyrics, the singer expresses a firm resistance toward being taken for a ride or manipulated by their former partner.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "leave things on speaking terms," indicating that the singer wishes to end things with this person in a civil manner, rather than letting things devolve into bitterness and resentment. The song's lyrics are tinged with sadness but ultimately maintain a sense of stoic resilience, as the singer refuses to let the chaos of the world around them consume them entirely.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, don't say it now
Do not speak at this moment

Wait, don't just give up
Pause, don't surrender so easily

Move from your old house
Relocate and start anew

This city can be so loud
Urban life can be very noisy and intense

Say what you gotta
Express what you need to say

Sleep in somehow
Find a way to get rest

Inside of reverie how do you know
In a dreamlike state, how can one distinguish reality?

When you've gone too far?
How can you tell when you've crossed the line?

And it's all ash and dust
When everything is ruined and destroyed

Well then I won't let you take me for a ride
I refuse to be deceived or manipulated by you

Leave things on speaking terms
End things amicably