Tractor Beam The third studio album from Snail Mail, called Ricochet, is a stunning collection of 11 songs that reflect on Lindsey Jordan’s past few years, while having a focus on themes like mortality and the uncertainty of what happens to our souls in the afterlife. The set was produced by Momma bassist Aron Kobayashi Ritch, and this album has a similar feel to the latest effort from that band, while still staying authentic to the overall songwriting approach from Jordan. While her previous record (Valentine) dealt more with matters from their heart and relationships, Ricochet takes a more spiritual approach. “Misery feels safe to write about because I am good at it,” Jordan says, “but I’m not bathing in my own agony anymore.” By putting her most confident step forward in her artistic self-discovery to date, Ricochet is a strong contender for this year’s best album.
The set begins with the jangly, guitar-based rock of “Tractor Beam”, whose opening riff reminded me a bit of the 90’s breakthrough hit from The Presidents of the United States of America, called “Peaches.” While the verses find Jordan lamenting a bit on the past, the shimmering chorus of, “Into the night / Endless as it might seem / The future looks so bright / Skyward on a tractor beam,” feels as rich and as full as anything Snail Mail has created to date. The bridge of, “And a sour taste is all I’ll be / In a bitter part of your memory / You can cast my letters to the sea”, recalls a past relationship turned upside down, but the confident last lyric of “but you can’t find anyone else like me” showcases the growth from Jordan and exudes confidence.
”My Maker” gets right to the core of Ricochet’s themes of mortality as Jordan begins with, “I wanna fly a plane to Heaven.” As the song unfolds, Jordan ponders on what happens to us in the afterlife while playing some simply gorgeous guitar parts. It was an easy choice for a single from the set, as it transcends the best parts of indie rock today. “Light On Our Feet” adds in some rich, orchestral parts to evoke the right emotions behind each of Lordan’s well-constructed lyrics, while the chorus of, “Another year older / No getting over you / And I promise I’ll love you when / One day, we won’t be around / We’ll find each other anew / Won’t let your feet touch the ground / Up on the moon,” finds her swooning over a love that she won’t soon forget.
The middle section of the album is filled with gems like “Cruise”, that finds Jordan still grappling with her own mortality as she admits, “Don’t need this vessel, don’t need this frame / I wanna waste my whole life away / Sick with a rage that I can’t contain / Sweeter than candy in my veins / And I can leave my body and float away.” Her unique perspective on her life is incredibly well-written, thought out, and laser-focused on wanting to make the most of her time on Earth. “Agony Freak” features a carnival-esque opening guitar riff that simply must be heard to truly appreciate and understand it. Jordan builds the song around this unique riff by continuing to explore past relationships and when to cut and run. The bridge gives additional context around her words with, “You should get out while you can, girl / Cutting with a dull knife / You won’t make it out of my world / And you’ve got your whole life.” Her wisdom is beyond her years, and she makes another memorable statement here in her artistic repertoire.
The lead single of “Dead End” feels right at home in the middle sequencing of the LP and it unfolds majestically from start to finish as Jordan tells a story of a past relationship that’s falling apart at the seams. The second verse of, “I don’t need you anyhow / There’s more room on the basement couch / Nowadays I don’t need to come down / Nobody’s gonna stop me now,” finds her at her most self-empowered, and she continues to display a newfound confidence in her vocal delivery. It’s pretty cool to see Jordan develop into this type of artist who can convey so many rich emotions through her well-written lyrics.
”Butterfly” features some really great guitar playing from Jordan, while she takes a different approach in her vocals by being a bit more subdued in the verses while basking in metaphors in the chorus. Jordan croons, “I won’t let them pluck your wings / Suck the life from everything / Crystalized and on display / I can take the pain away,” and her admission of wanting to help this person out comes across as genuine and with good intentions. “Nowhere” has a really cool vibe throughout the song and it highlights the growth in the full approach from the Snail Mail project. The bridge is my favorite part of the track, as Jordan explains eloquently, “Damn, the sky’s so clear tonight / Like a hot bath waiting on the other side / Just begging me to slip beneath / Got a one-way ticket in between my teeth / And I could’ve sworn I heard a lullaby / Beckoning me over to the other side.” She seems to romanticize the concept of death much like Robert Smith (The Cure) did throughout his career to make sense of life.
”Hell” is an experiment through Jordan’s observations of a person who has alienated their friends in order to make them feel better about themself, while she offers the advice of, “Are you wasted being on your own? / Too busy getting faded, that’s why you can’t pick up the phone / I know there’s no going back now, I think I’d still do it over.”
The title track follows in the sequencing with a simply gorgeous composition of acoustic guitars over some orchestral sections to evoke the right emotions behind each of Jordan’s poignant lyrics. The song builds up to the vulnerable chorus of, “No matter what, or come what may / I bounce right back to ya, ricochet / Into the hole that you dug for me / ‘Cause I can’t keep holding you up, girl, there’s no release.” It’s basically Jordan saying, “I can’t quit you, no matter how hard I try” and it’s a relatable feeling that many of us will experience at one time or another in our quest for love. “Reverie” closes out this latest chapter of Snail Mail lore with an acoustic ballad about pompous rockstars who don’t care about their fans, as Jordan leaves the audience with, “All my heroes are nothing more than socialites / Fuck them too / But you’re a lighthouse / In my cold, stormy life / And I could do it all the time.”
The stunning and rapid growth from Lindsey Jordan is on full display on Snail Mail’s third album, Ricochet. Through her solid exploration of mortality, relationships, love and loss, Jordan comes across as an artist willing to dig much deeper beyond the surface of things and try to find out why things are the way they are, rather than blindly accepting them as-is. It’s a clear sign of artistic growth and maturity from a songwriter who will steadily continue to get better as she ages gracefully.