★★★☆☆

Lindsey Jordan, more popularly known as Snail Mail, stands on the shoulders of all who came before her. Clairo, Phoebe Bridgers, and Girl in Red, to name a few. Jordan’s third album, Ricochet, is a blend of all these influences with a golden years of late 90s to early 2000s pop-rock twist.

Jordan names Radiohead, Ivy, the Smashing Pumpkins, Catherine Wheel, and Sunny Day Real Estate as influences for this album. On paper it sounds particularly intriguing, and you can most certainly hear the aforementioned inspirations, but unfortunately the execution results in a rather middling body of work.

Pick one of your happiest Saturday mornings in 2005, and Ricochet‘s opening track ‘ Tractor Beam’ is sure to encompass the atmosphere perfectly. ‘ My Maker’ follows the same sonic theme as Jordan confronts her own mortality by ruminating on life after death. Ricochet is rife with this kind of introspection.

My Maker by Snail Mail Official Music Video

As formulaic as this record may be, there are a few surprises. One of the biggest ones being numerous vocal moments that are reminiscent of Hayley Williams’ stylings in the early days of Paramore, another one of Jordan’s influences. The tonal mimicry is a crucial part of the nostalgia factor Ricochet hinges on.

After a tumultuous ordeal with vocal polyps, there can be no higher compliment. However, that’s where the highs cease, and we consistently return to the baseline of Disney Channel Original Movie end credits. Ricochet does what it sets out to do, nothing more, nothing less. It’s a perfectly passable record.

Ricochet Tracklist

1. Tractor Beam
2. My Maker
3. Light On Our Feet
4. Cruise
5. Agony Freak
6. Dead End
7. Butterfly
8. Nowhere
9. Hell
10. Ricochet
11. Reverie

Snail Mail 2026 Tour Dates

Snail Mail’s Ricochet tour support from Sharp Pins, Avalon Emerson and The Charm, Swirlies, Armlock, and Rocket on select dates.

† — with Sharp Pins
^ — with Avalon Emerson and The Charm
○ — with Swirlies
& — with Armlock
% — with Rocket

04/10 — Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall †
04/11 — Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre †^
04/12 — Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre †^
04/13 — Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall †^
04/15 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount †~
04/16 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore †○
04/17 — Boston, MA @ Big Night Live †○
04/18 — Baltimore, MD @ Union Collective Parking Lot †○
04/20 — Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom †
04/21 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel †
04/22 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse †
04/24 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Downstairs) †
04/25 — Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater †
04/26 — Austin, TX @ Stubb’s †
04/28 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Tower Theatre †
04/30 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren †&
05/01 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern †%
05/02 — San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park †&
05/04 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield †%
05/05 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades †&
05/07 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom †&
05/08 — Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre †&
05/09 — Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre †&
05/11 — Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall †&
05/13 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre †&
05/15 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party
06/26 — London, UK @ Electric Ballroom