by Hannah Ryan

ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿå

Diminutive though Lindsey Jordan ÔÇô better known as Snail Mail ÔÇô may be, her stage presence at Thekla in Bristol this week was anything but. Bathed in a melancholy blue light, she appeared, alongside her band, with little fanfare and introduced herself in the briefest of terms before diving straight into the odd little guitar riff for which her ÔÇÿHeat WaveÔÇÖ has garnered immense acclaim.

After the release of Lush ÔÇô her raw, teenaged debut ÔÇô in the throes of this yearÔÇÖs summer, Jordan has perhaps become best known for the emotional vulnerability of her lyricism and the curious blend of intimacy and tragedy that courses through her music. Such vulnerability, such open wounds, were clearly on display at Thekla as Jordan delivered almost every line of ÔÇÿHeat WaveÔÇÖ with a mix of venom, passion, and sombreness. Both sincerity and bitterness came in waves on Wednesday evening, as Jordan exclaimed that she ÔÇÿhopes whoever it is holds their breathÔÇÖ around a former lover, before lamenting that she knew she once did the same ÔÇô just as ÔÇÿHeat WaveÔÇÖ reached the closest thing it has to a chorus.

Having begun the show with arguably her most popular ÔÇô and most accessible for those not of the gloomy indie rock persuasion ÔÇô Jordan then began to lead us further along in her journey through obsessive first love to the festering heartbreak left in the wake of its end. In between toying with the idea of finally abandoning an uncertain love ÔÇô ÔÇÿIÔÇÖm sorry babe thatÔÇÖs not where IÔÇÖm at/I shouldnÔÇÖt be here when you get backÔÇÖ ÔÇô and emptying her devastation out through her guttural vocal delivery, Jordan also toyed a little with her audience. After asking if any of us had seen A Star is Born, she launched into a rendition of ÔÇÿShallowÔÇÖ so husky that even Bradley CooperÔÇÖs bedraggled Jackson Maine would struggle to hold his own against her. JordanÔÇÖs version, however, was all too short-lived and, while her wrestles with agony and desire on ÔÇÿGolden DreamÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿSpeaking TermsÔÇÖ resonated deeply, I occasionally found myself craving a studio recording of her ÔÇÿShallowÔÇÖ.

Snail MailÔÇÖs set ended with Jordan alone on stage, as she cast a rather lonely ÔÇô yet equally self-assured ÔÇô shadow in the dimming lights. Though the entirety of Lush may be described as an album made of heartache, it is on ÔÇÿAnytimeÔÇÖ that the extent of JordanÔÇÖs suffering is truly conveyed. With just a few solemn chords on a guitar to accompany her embittered cries, Jordan repeatedly wonders if the subject of ÔÇÿAnytimeÔÇÖ ever loved her before coming to the conclusion that still, sheÔÇÖll be there ÔÇô anytime. This, ultimately, is the thesis of Snail MailÔÇÖs debut; when you fall in this kind of all-consuming, adolescent love, youÔÇÖll put yourself through hell for just a sliver of another personÔÇÖs affections.

JordanÔÇÖs ability to create an atmosphere filled with despair, sensuality, and poignancy all at once is not to be underestimated ÔÇô at nineteen, as Snail Mail, she is capable of creating a show that evokes a range of emotions so broad that even her older contemporaries would struggle to compete. If this is only the beginning, then the upcoming era of Snail Mail is surely to be revered.