Pristine by Snail Mail

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“Do you like me for me? Is there any better feeling than coming clean?”
The first single off her debut album and Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail seems to have been deemed the next indie princess. What makes “Pristine” so good, and what sets it above the rest? The track was released on March 21 in preparation for the album “Lush” set to come out this spring under Matador records. It’s getting rave reviews and spotlight features across the board, especially impressive for being the early work of an eighteen year old.
Jordan is able to write with a sensible clarity that stabilizes her dramatic teenage temperament. Like many, her feelings on love are muddled between logic and temptation. She knows better, but cannot help but indulge in the hopeless, yet wistful desire of wanting the unattainable. Jordan uses the first verse to establish her capability of rational thinking, before spending the rest of the song gushing and pleading with reckless abandon. Despite all this she is able to maintain a sense of self-awareness that secures her naivete as being a true reflection of her disposition. “And I know myself, and I’ll never love anyone else.” Jordan wails these lyrics to wrap up the chorus, depicting her youthful, stubborn outlook on inevitable heartbreak. In the bridge, the speaker asks the aching questions “Who do you change for?” and “Who’s your type of girl?” showing the obsessive quality that begs for closure even if the answers aren’t what she wants to hear. The outro begins “We can be anything/ Even apart,” a final, desperate plea for a glimmer of connection. Jordan not only succumbs to her despair but embraces it, she controls her desires by letting them flow freely, ultimately leading to eventual healing.
The song begins by showcasing Jordan’s skillful guitar playing, followed by a gradual entrance of drums and bass alongside the progression of vocals. Because of the inconsistent pattern of the track, the instrumentation always seems to be struggling to catch up with Jordan’s singing, a metaphor for the speaker’s impulsion and lack of composure. The abundant use of cymbals utilized during the chorus emphasizes the valid drama in the speaker’s words, the questions and blanket statements she keeps revisiting pounding in her head, like the drum beat.

Jordan’s artistic intention strengthens the track as a whole, setting the song above the traditionally sparse indie standard. Considering this is only Snail Mail’s first official single, definitely look out for the full album set to release June 8.


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