Snail Mail Bathes in Blood and Chocolate Cake in Her “Valentine” Video

The track arrives with the news of a new album of the same name coming November 5 via Matador.
Snail Mail Bathes in Blood and Chocolate Cake in Her “Valentine” Video

The track arrives with the news of a new album of the same name coming November 5 via Matador.

Words: Margaret Farrell

photo by Tina Tyrell

September 15, 2021

Lindsey Jordan has returned as Snail Mail with her new single “Valentine,” which finds her caught in an emotional clash as the result of a hidden romance. It’s the title track from her new album out November 5, the follow-up to her brilliant 2018 debut Lush. At first, the affair’s clandestine nature is a way to maintain its purity: “Let’s go be alone where no one can see us, honey / Careful in that room / Those parasitic cameras, don’t they stop to stare at you?” But during the chorus, Jordan finds that this secrecy is a form of erasure. It conjures jealousy and fuels desire. “Fuck being remembered / I think I was made for you,” she seethes.

In the single’s high-production video directed by Josh Coll, we’re transported to what looks like a 17th-century soiree. Jordan sees her lover in the arms of a man and she’s fucking pissed. She gets drunk and shoves chocolate cake in her mouth. Then, she fantasizes about kissing her atop a pile of coats, but when she opens her eyes she realizes that romance is only a fire in her head. As a result, her insatiable desire drives her to some murderous depths. But the party around her seems undisturbed, even when she accidentally kills the woman she’s in love with. The people around her laugh and drink while Jordan exfoliates her skin with blood and cake. But in her head she’s dancing with her lover in an empty room, fully embraced.

The track itself contains the same fiery energy that feels ripped straight from Jordan’s hands, as if she’s experiencing it in real time. Warbled and eerie synths cushion her vocals during the verses, while the chorus bursts with riotous guitar work. If “Valentine” is any indicator, this album might be a doozy.

The album first took shape during a 45-day period at a recovery facility in Arizona where Jordan wasn’t allowed any of her instruments or recording equipment. After putting its skeleton to paper, she began working with Brad Cook in a home studio in North Carolina in early 2021. “I wanted to take as much time as possible with this record to make sure I was happy with every detail before unleashing it unto y’all,” said Jordan in a comment about the album. “Referring to the process as the deepest level of catharsis and therapy I have ever experienced would be a huge understatement. Valentine is my child!”

Watch the intense video below, and pre-order Valentine here.