Song Review: “Dead End” by Snail Mail
By Liam Hennessey
Lindsey Jordan, the creative mastermind and songwriter behind the indie solo project Snail Mail, returns with their brand-new track “Dead End”. It’s her first output since she released a collaborative cover with This is Lorelei in 2025, a Smashing Pumpkins cover in 2024, and her first original release since Valentine dropped all the way back in 2021. Lindsey continues right where she left off in terms of strong song writing with pristine production. This isn’t to say she’s stayed stagnant though, as there's a marked evolution in her lyricism and sense of perspective.
Her lyrical approach has matured, with “Dead End” being about looking back at what was with a long past lover, remarking how little someone from your past can progress beyond their own self-interest. No longer putting this lover on a pedestal as she did with her tracks “Madonna” and “Glory” off of Valentine. “Dead End” is firmly about calling out their self-interest for what it is, how she’s accepted that, and is moving on from it. She knows that this person had left a special impact on them, going so far as to say they’ve been “burned into her heart.” That being said, she also can’t abide by not just their selfishness, but their cowardice as well, doubting that they can even look her in the eyes. This is to say, that while much softer musically and in tone, this is Lindsey’s “You Otta Know” moment; righteous anger directed at the lover that had spurned her in favor of their own selfishness.
Produced by Aron Kobayashi-Ritch of the band Momma, his work is extremely detailed and thorough, highlighting Lindsey’s song writing prowess and her own attention to detail. The lead guitar work is impeccable, as expected for a project of her's at this point, especially during the solos. The song-writing for the single is great, the performances on the record sound great, the production is great, it's all around great. It’s extremely competently made, catchy as hell, and shows a marked improvement in her usual output, which was already excellent to begin with. I’ve followed Snail Mail since when I was in high school when Habit dropped, and a decade later I'm beyond thrilled to see she’s doing just as well as I’d hope she’d be. If the other tracks off Ricochet are this good, I can’t wait to review the rest of the record.
