Snail Mail

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Public Onsale : Fri, 23 Jan 2026 at 10:00 AM

Artist Presale : Wed, 21 Jan 2026 at 10:00 AM

Ticketmaster Presale : Wed, 21 Jan 2026 at 10:00 AM

HOB Foundation Room Member Presale : Wed, 21 Jan 2026 at 10:00 AM

Spotify Presale : Thu, 22 Jan 2026 at 10:00 AM

LIVE NATION PRESALE : Wed, 21 Jan 2026 at 10:00 AM

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SNAIL MAIL

Snail Mail — the project of Lindsey Jordan — announces her highly anticipated third album, Ricochet, due out March 27 on Matador Records. Her first album in five years, she returns with a renewed sense of clarity and control, asserting herself as a generational songwriter with a sharpened perspective. While her early work chronicled the emotional turbulence of young love, Ricochet reveals a deeper fixation: time, mortality, and the quiet terror of watching the things you love slip away. The album’s 11 songs are steeped in introspection, anxiety, and acceptance — an acknowledgment that the world keeps turning regardless of what’s unfolding in your own small orbit.

Alongside the announcement, Jordan shares the album’s first single, ‘Dead End’, a standout that mourns the simplicity of a suburban adolescence, of parking in a cul-de-sac and smoking with friends. Sonically the song pairs a wall of grunge-gaze textures with a piercing lead guitar riff and sugary hooks, building tension until it culminates into an explosive ’nah-nah-nah’ singalong. Speaking of the video which she directed alongside Elsie Richter, Lindsay shares, “We shot the video for ‘Dead End’ in random places all around rural North Carolina between the hours of 5pm and 4am on one of the coldest nights of my life. The goal was to be inconspicuous with the fireworks, but someone called the cops on us.”

Written during a period of intense personal change that included a move to North Carolina from NYC, Ricochet finds Jordan reckoning with questions she once avoided, namely death and what comes after. The album pairs her incisive lyricism with newly expansive melodies, ornate string arrangements, and hypnotic textures, marking a natural evolution from Lush’s poised guitar work and Valentine’s raw emotional charge. Sonically, Ricochet channels the luminous side of ’90s alternative rock — echoing Smashing Pumpkins at their sunniest, Radiohead at their most Britpop, and the shoegaze haze of bands like Catherine Wheel and Ivy — all filtered through Jordan’s singular voice.

After undergoing surgery for vocal polyps and intensive speech therapy ahead of 2021’s Valentine tour, Jordan emerges on Ricochet as a more confident and controlled vocalist — an ironic strength for an album centered on uncertainty. She recorded the album with producer and bassist Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma) at Fidelitorium Recordings in North Carolina, as well as Nightfly and Studio G in Brooklyn. The sessions, Jordan says, felt “refreshing, trusting, and comfortable,” allowing her to fully inhabit the songs without compromise.
The album also marks a departure in Jordan's creative process. "I've never done this before, but I wrote all of the instrumentals and vocal melodies on the piano or guitar, and then I filled in the lyrics all at once over a year," she explains. This shift gave her more time to craft the expansive melodies that define Ricochet's sound.

The album’s lyrical world is informed by art that grapples with existence itself. Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York looms large, while tracks like ‘Nowhere’ draw inspiration from Laura Gilpin’s poem “The Two-Headed Calf.” On ‘My Maker’, Jordan imagines overstaying her welcome at a celestial airport bar, pleading, “Oh, bouncer in the sky / Let me in, I’m scared to die.” Elsewhere, Ricochet mourns fading friendships, lost simplicity, and the ache of emotional distance — a record about being anxious not over the bad, but over how fleeting the good can be.
The album’s artwork mirrors its themes. Ricochet is the first Snail Mail release not to feature Jordan’s face; instead, a spiral shell floats in a distressed blue expanse, symbolizing both inward collapse and outward infinity — the push and pull of growth, distance, and perspective.

SWIRLIES

Formed from the shell of a Go-Go’s cover band named Raspberry Bang, SWIRLIES began their life in Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts in the summer of 1990. The original band featured Damon Tutunjian (guitar/vocals), Seana Carmody (guitar/vocals), Andy Bernick (bass), and Ben Drucker (drums). SWIRLIES played live for the very first time on 25 January 1991 at The Alcove in Allston, MA. In these early years, SWIRLIES wandered the Northeastern Megalopolis with other like-minded people, releasing 7″ records through the kindness of Slumberland, Pop Narcotic, Cinderblock, and other labels. Billy Ruane was often there. In June 1992, SWIRLIES signed to then-Boston-based Taang! Records. The first two Taang! releases, the ’What to Do About Them’ EP (a collection of previous 7″s and new tracks) and ‘Blondertongue Audiobaton’ LP, were created and recorded by the original members plus other mysterious entities. Our dependence on sacred symbols (embodied by The Ostrich, The Number 11, The One Who Speaks Abstractly On Recordings, and others) began at approximately this time. Sadly, none of these symbols protected us from The Curse.

The first of many roilings of personnel came in early 1993. Morgan Andrews (MADBOX, ROCK/PAPER/SCISSORS) took over bass-related duties and infused them with his own blend of irritating noise. It was this SWIRLIES arrangement that made a video with Linsey Herman (CAKE AND COMMERCE) for the song “Bell”, and embarked on the band’s first US tour in a stinking minivan filled with fashion magazines. Andy later returned to join Morgan and the band and SWIRLIES explored the sensual realm of bands with two bass players. Forthwith, Morgan became disgusted and disappeared into the oblivion of anarchist puppetry. Ben Drucker was ousted (unwisely) and went on to use his mind and condensible drum kit quite productively. Around the time that ‘Brokedick Car’ EP was released, Anthony signed on.

After our first small tour of Europe in January 1994, Seana left to form the now defunct SYRUP USA, and guitar/singing duties were taken over by Christina Files. With this group, ‘They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days In The Glittering World Of The Salons’ LP was conceived and recorded over two years at various studios. Anthony was dispensed with in late 1995, and Gavin McCarthy (KARATE) took over the battery. Gavin was with us for 1.95 US tours, and spent the remaining 0.05 of the second tour solo-driving his white Econoline across the country (mercifully with the rest of us in it) and out of our lives forever. The drummerless SWIRLIES played a few liberating analog/digital shows as a trio (Damon-Christina-Andy) before being joined by drummer Adam Pierce (IRIS, DYLAN GROUP, MICE PARADE).

In 1997, Christina left for other pursuits (including VICTORY AT SEA, MARY TIMONY, WAR BUBBLE, and recording/sound excellence). The ‘Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music’ LP (our last for Taang!) was released thereafter. This record featured remixes of ‘Salons’ LP material, and new pieces heavily influenced by Scituate, Massachusetts. “Free” from contractual obligations, SWIRLIES were next joined by guitarist Rob ‘(The) Doctor Laasoko’ Laakso (WICKED FARLEYS, KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS).

In September 2002, SWIRLIES added the incredible Kevin Shea (TALIBAM!, COPTIC LIGHT, SEXY THOUGHTS) to the “Damon-Andy-Rob” arrangement, plus Vanessa Downing (WICKED FARLEYS) and our old collaborator Ron Rege, for a fun but challenging (thanks to KL) two-week tour of England and the Netherlands mostly with THE TELESCOPES, and a show in London where we were THE MICROPHONES’ backing band for a song. Marmite sustained us.

For most of the early 2000s, SWIRLIES maintained a roughly “Damon-Andy-Rob-Adam” arrangement, while also taking on Mike Walker (LILYS), Ken Bernard (WICKED FARLEYS, RA RA RIOT), Kara Tutunjian, our old comrade Seana Carmody, Deb Warfield (PURE SUNRAY, GOLD MUSE), Doro Tachler (IGLOO), Avery Matthews, and Junko Hemmi (CANDYCANE). These people and others helped make and/or perform songs that became ‘Cats of The Wild, Volume 2′, the mini-album, EP, or whatever it was (Bubble Core Records, released 25 March 2003). Subsequently, there was some touring with a “Damon-Rob-Adam-Mike-Doro-and-very-rarely-with-bird-researchin’-Andy” arrangement, but this ended when Damon moved to Parts Midwest (followed by Sweden) to find better living through psycholinguistics.

Since 2009, SWIRLIES have mainly toured in odd-numbered years, including: a smattering of northeastern US shows (mislabeled “reunions”) in 2009 and 2011 with a “Damon-Rob-Andy-Adam-Deb-Shep-plus guests” arrangement; a longer July 2013 tour supporting Kurt Vile and the Violators with a “Damon-Rob-Deb-Adam” arrangement, plus new recruit Elliott Malvas (YOU’RE JOVIAN, THE SEEERS) on bass, and appearances by Andy (DC) and Christina (Brooklyn); a 2015 eastern US/Canada tour in honor of our 25th year (the Silver Ostrich Anniversary) with a “Damon-Andy-Adam-Rob/Elliott” arrangement, along with founding member Seana Carmody (REINDEER, NIGHT SPELLS) and former sound engineer Adam Cooke; and a 2017 west coast and desert tour with Cruel Summer (SF) and a “Damon-Deb-Andy-Elliott-Adam-and-Rob-in-Portland-only” arrangement and sound engineer Dan Gonzales. (In 2017, Ron Rege sang SSD’s “Glue” with us during our LA show on account of the laptop that contained our CS-80 emulator falling over, thereby rendering it impossible to play any synth songs [courtesy of The Curse].)

The odd-year skein was broken in September/October 2018: a Texas-to-Boston tour in support of NOTHING, with a “Damon-Deb-Elliott-Adam” arrangement, new conscript Wesley Bunch (SUBURBAN LIVING) filling in on bass, and junior year sound engineer Dan Gonzales.

In July 2016, a new track (featuring new Swedish conscripts Viktor Hober and Anna Bergvall) was released by Joyful Noise Recordings as part of a subscription, flexi-only series. In September 2018, we released the “Swirlies’ Magic Strop: Tonight…”12” EP on red and black vinyl, a collection of Part Time Punks radio sessions and a new song. In 2020, all SWIRLIES releases since 2003, including “Cats of the Wild, Volume 2” and the SWIRLIES’ MAGIC STROP series (mostly live recordings) are available via Bandcamp. Taang! Records, who still own our older releases, occasionally reissue those records on vinyl – usually against our will and wishes, and with godawful art when they try to slip things out under the radar.

SHARP PINS

Fall in Love again with Balloon Balloon Balloon

Submission. That’s the word that comes to mind when tasked with spending time on the overwhelming pop planet that belongs to Kai Slater’s Sharp Pins. The universe only works when you submit: submit to love, submit to rock music. Submission to the power that comes from a kid wielding his guitar to craft impeccable guitar pop that stands in a pantheon of idols he joins with this record.

Of course it makes sense to be mad at first. Everyone was mad at Big Star for getting too close to the Beatles. And everyone will be mad at Sharp Pins for doing the same and then adding Guided by Voices into the mix. How dare he? The hubris. What 20 year old thinks they can out Robert Pollard the man himself? “Queen of Globes and Mirrors?” Criminal. With a worse crime of crafting songs so puzzlingly timeless, a listener may well believe they were poached from a lost Beatles tape. “I Don’t Have the Heart” and “(I Want to) Be Your Girl” genuinely confuse from when or where they were made.

But if Balloon x 3 reminds us of anything, it’s that only Kai can do this. With his 12-string and indefatigable obsession with pop music, Slater is uniquely equipped to carry the mantle of not only Pollard and Chilton, but the Byrds too, or the Temptations, the Four Tops, and every other artist trying to nail true love to tape. He employs the “asking for forgiveness not permission” tactic when tasked with borrowing from these greats, our only option is to forgive Slater for giving us these gems of rock n roll- propelling it from the past into a future so melodiously flawless, yet jagged and sincere, we can’t help but thank him too for rescuing the genre from irrelevance.

Because what Slater adds is entirely his own. An ineffable songwriting sensibility, that despite the heavy borrowing, can only be his. By the end of the album, you swallow whatever anger or incredulity you may have had and accept that yes, the Sharp Pins really are that good. Throughout the spanning but never indulgent LP, crafts a world peppered with small pop gems, so simply and stupidly good, they remind us another world is possible. Because it’s not just that the songs are impossible to get out of your head, which they are. It’s that Slater’s own devotion to this pursuit of the perfect pop song makes us believe it is not only possible, but enough to give life shape and color again. Fall in Love Again is not a suggestion, it’s a requirement. Not just with a beautiful girl, of whom there are many on the album, but with the world itself. Perhaps only then will it be possible to push toward the future that 20 year old Slater himself dreams of, but in the meantime, we have his love letters to rock n’ roll and the world around it to keep us company.

You may also like the following events from R5 Productions:

• This Friday, 23rd January, 06:00 pm, SOLD OUT! Sharp Pins w/ Mopar Stars & Te Vista at Jerry's On Front *2 Shows* in Philadelphia
• This Saturday, 24th January, 06:30 am, WXPN 88.5 Welcomes Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — Piano & Voice at the Ethical Society in Philadelphia
• This Saturday, 24th January, 05:30 pm, NEW HARMONY 2026 w/ The Pine, Knumears, Febuary, Ethel Meserve & More at the First Unit. Church in Philadelphia

Also check out other Music events in Philadelphia, Entertainment events in Philadelphia, Arts events in Philadelphia.