Snail Mail - Lush
Critic Score
Based on 36 reviews
2018 Ratings: #189 / 890
Year End Rank: #22
User Score
2018 Rank: #191
Liked by 227 people
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

91
Paste

Though the highs and lows of the album are subtle, Lush confirms what the Habit EP first introduced. Jordan is a definite talent. The songs illustrate a wise-beyond-years songwriting style, with none of the self-importance and indulgence that can come with more experience. Nothing feels trite or contrived.

91
A.V. Club

The crushing sameness of the existence described in Snail Mail’s music means that not every song on Lush is essential, but when Jordan hits, she hits a bullseye, with mini-indie masterpieces like “Pristine” and “Heat Wave” set to inspire another generation of songwriters.

90
Exclaim!

Lush is unencumbered and honest, putting emotional pitfalls on full, nuanced display while remaining streamlined and filler-free.

87
Pitchfork

With Lush, Jordan earns her place as a leader in the next generation of indie rock, the ones who are keeping the genre’s honorable ideals alight while continuing to expand its purview beyond straight white dudes.

85
The 405

The heartbreak record is the most weathered of ground so that it’s practically infertile, but Jordan’s sharp turns of phrase and brutal deconstructions of modern relationships makes Lush compellingly fruitful.

83
Consequence of Sound

Lush is one of the most engaging and relatable indie rock debuts in quite some time.

80
Drowned in Sound
Most artists don’t hit their stride until they get to their second or third LP - if they even get there at all. Jordan already sounds as if she knows precisely what she’s doing.
80
Northern Transmissions

On Lush, Snail Mail have moved beyond Habit’s bedroom feel. But Lush remains melodic and personal. Jordan has been the band’s primary songwriter since she was 15. She remains candid to the point of being melodramatic.

80
The Independent

Jordan’s 10-track record parallels the beautiful plain-spoken lyrics and catharsis echoed by artists like Soccer Mommy and Julien Baker.

80
GIGsoup

The Baltimore band may not bring anything new to the table, but it is one of the most refreshing and lovable debuts of 2018.

80
God Is in the TV
It’s a brave, gorgeous long player that possess a vividly drawn, brittle humanity and framed by a shifting musical pallette that suggests this is just the first chapter from Jordan: a bold emerging new voice. This summer Snail Mail’s songs will leave glistening silver trails across your heart.
80
Dork
Equal parts glossy and homemade, ‘Lush’ has an instant familiarity and candour that should make a serious star out of Jordan.
80
Mojo
A debut proving the universal emotional weight in teenage preoccupation with romance. One to watch.
80
Clash
'Lush', the full length debut by Baltimore guitarist and songwriter Lindsey Jordan under the name Snail Mail finally arrived last week amidst much hype, much of it as it turns out, fairly justifiable.
80
Slant Magazine

Even under the weighty burden of heightened media attention and critical acclaim, her band Snail Mail's full-length debut, Lush, unflinchingly delivers more of the raw authenticity that made the Maryland slowcore outfit's 2016 EP, Habit, so magnetic, while boasting both a newfound maturity and musicality.

80
The Skinny

On Lush, Snail Mail maestro Lindsey Jordan always has something important to say, and it’s worth listening to. Lush is a debut burst forth in full technicolour.

80
Albumism

In the case of Lush, the debut album by Snail Mail, confessional doesn’t translate to cheesy or cliched; clearheaded would be a better word for 19-year-old Lindsey Jordan’s music. Yes, her lyrics are intimate and soul-baring, and her music easily fits into the jangly indie-rock category, but there’s something refreshingly unwavering and straightforward about her approach.

80
DIY
On debut EP ‘Habit’, Lindsey Jordan presented herself as a supremely talented young songwriter, able to evoke vivid emotions over simple but affecting instrumentation. All this promise is taken to the red line on Snail Mail’s first full-length, ‘Lush’.
80
Under the Radar
Snail Mail's debut is a record steeped in songwriting brilliance and earworm guitar jams. Getting to it with a clear head might be a struggle, but hitting repeat is inevitable once you do.
80
NME
Right now, Lindsey Jordan is being lifted up as the next gatekeeper of indie-rock. One (very good) album feels a little too early to coronate her just yet, but ‘Lush’ is setting its creator on the right path, at least.
80
AllMusic

While the guitar work is a focal point of her style in general, it regularly borders on mesmerizing on her full-length debut, 2018's Lush.

80
musicOMH

Like Phoebe Bridgers‘ outstanding debut last year, Lush is an album that the devoted will take to their hearts and luxuriate in its sadness. Some may decry the lack of variety on show (there’s a definite template to a Snail Mail song and it’s stuck to rigidly on Lush), but it cannot be denied that this is a debut that promises great things to come.

75
Spectrum Culture

To dismiss Lush as an amalgamation of well-trodden ideas and influences would do a disservice to what Jordan has actually done on Snail Mail’s debut album. The sounds may be familiar, but the aching sincerity contained within is absolutely intoxicating.

70
Loud and Quiet
With all the summery dream pop charm and vocal power of the likes of Japanese Breakfast and Fazerdaze, and the DIY, bedroom-recorded innocence of the earlier Frankie Cosmos releases, Snail Mail is effortlessly on trend without being derivative.
70
Crack Magazine

On her debut album as Snail Mail, Jordan pines for a series of former lovers throughout the album, and it’s refreshing to hear the emotions which we usually thrash out in our own heads being clearly communicated with no shame.

70
Uncut
There's still a mumblecore sulkiness to Jordan's delivery that drags some songs down, but on tracks like the fingerpicking marvel "Let's Find Out" and "Deep Sea," she finds a distinctive voice all her own.
70
Rolling Stone

With Snail Mail's Lush, indie rock has officially entered its "Black Crowes era," where young artists refigure music from the decade they were born. But that's not a bad thing here.

70
The Line of Best Fit

At its core, Lush is partly a remarkable debut, for the solid shape it's delivered in, mostly cohesive, conceptually speaking, but it's true that the cohesiveness of Lush lacks any true dichotomy to "spice" up the album.

70
No Ripcord
The result is a great release that both justifies the attention and leaves room for further achievements in the future.
60
The Needle Drop

Snail Mail's debut album is a pretty plain indie rock affair, though Lindsey Jordan's potential as a singer-songwriter is apparent.

60
Q Magazine
Perhaps in time she will dig deeper, but it's an assured start.
50
PopMatters
As of this writing, Jordan is still a teenager, which gives the album's meditative teen angst lyrics true authenticity. Her youth maybe helps explain why so many of the songs on the album sound so similar to each other.
BGL13
94

the best generic indie album

nemgax
87

who needs human intimacy when u can just listen to this album

JacksonLerner
94

this album might be the best release of 2018; it's the start of something tremendous for Snail Mail. she has some of the best songs of the decade in "deep sea'", "heat wave", and "pristine".

Lindsey Jordan, aged 18, emerges with clever hooks and emotional confrontations in her debut album. 'lush' is similar to Jordan herself, in that it's ahead of its time.

LisbonBih
57

#10 RAR - Random Album Reviews

I'm glad valentine is so good because this does not stand out whatsoever.
Her singing is not really good, bland instrumentation palette and her writing, while definitely decent it's not a showstopper at all.

itsfunkyfresh
54

Don't you hate going to get your regular coffee at Starbucks and having to interact with people that don't understand you at all? Hi, I'm Ashley. Every year, trans women suffer from having to go to a Starbucks and interacting with straight white cis women (also from the killing and severe transphobia, but ignore that)
That's why we've founded our new company, Starbitches! It's like Starbucks, but not of that cis Taylor Swift, Snail Mail ahh bullshit that you come to expect from regular ... read more

JCQ
75

Although sometimes the sound pallet and the themes blend together a lot, it makes up for a very solid listen

Purchasing Lush from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement

Track List

1Intro
1:12
79
2Pristine
4:55
90
3Speaking Terms
3:53
84
4Heat Wave
5:08
89
5Stick
5:13
81
6Let's Find an Out
2:13
80
7Golden Dream
3:27
80
8Full Control
2:55
84
9Deep Sea
4:42
81
10Anytime
4:38
78
Total Length: 38 minutes
Comments (3)
Sign in to comment
8mo
1y
2y


Added on: March 21, 2018