Snail Mail Examines a Love Lost on Latest Single, “Dead End”
Five years after their third album, Valentine, Snail Mail has released their first single, “Dead End,” off their upcoming album, Ricochet.
Album cover for Ricochet.
Aron Kobayashi-Ritch, the producer/bassist of the recent Momma album, Welcome to My Blue Sky, lends his talents on “Dead End.” However, the real driving force here is front woman Lindsey Jordan’s ability as a songwriter to capture the essence of the gut-wrenching feeling of missing your ex.
Jordan sings of how the simple act of hearing her ex’s name “brings down the perennial rain.” She can’t stop thinking of the times they’d spent “parked at the deep end.” Showing how the love we’ve felt in the past has sneaky ways of worming their way back into our thoughts.
“But these days, I don’t recognize you
Couldn’t ever be the same
To be loved is to be changed.”
Perhaps one of the most palpable lyrics, “You’re burned in my heart, old friend,” speaks to the idea that to be loved is to be changed. You can’t easily let go of someone who had such a big impact on your life; they are burned forever in your personality. Sure, the pain might fade, but the scar will always be there.
The song poses numerous questions to Jordan’s ex. She asks if they’d be able to look in her eyes or if they wonder where Jordan has been. It’s the painful reality that unanswered questions often arise during a separation of love.
The music video showcases Jordan searching for a ghostly figure alone, at first it stalks behind her, then she sees it as it runs away from her. We see Jordan lighting fireworks off in an empty field, as she begs for an answer from this ghostly figure. Eventually, she comes face-to-face with it as the song ends. Then it abruptly disappears before she can say anything of note.
“Dead End” flaunts Jordan’s ability to craft these simple songs about grand topics of a lost love, questions unanswered, and what we’d say to the people we once loved.
You can listen to “Dead End” on your favorite streaming platform. Snail Mail’s fourth album, Ricochet, is released on March 27th on Matador Records. Tickets for Snail Mail’s spring tour in support go on sale on Friday on her website.