''Valentine'' is the second studio album by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

musician

Snail Mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sy ...

, released on November 5, 2021 by

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...

Background

Lindsey Jordan tried to begin writing material for her second studio album immediately after her debut, '' Lush'' (2018). However, she struggled to write because she was on tour and lacked opportunities for solitude. During the beginning of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Jordan returned to her parents' home in

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, where she began to start working seriously on ''Valentine''. In November 2020, Jordan spent 45 days in a rehab facility in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, an experience she references directly in "Ben Franklin". According to Snail Mail's

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, Lindsey stated: "Making this album has been the greatest challenge of my life thus far. I put my entire heart and soul into every last detail. Thank you for sticking with me and trusting me, as I turn the page into the new chapter of The Book of Snail Mail."

Critical reception

''Valentine'' received critical acclaim upon release, earning a

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

score of 88/100 and the 'Best New Music' certification by ''

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''. Olivia Horn of ''Pitchfork'' wrote that Jordan "flirts with pop—sharpening her hooks, reaching for the synths and strings", in contrast to the "limited possibilities of a three-piece rock band" on her previous album '' Lush''. Horn rated the album 8.5/10, stating that Jordan's songwriting was "dazzlingly sharp and passionate". In a glowing review for ''

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'', El Hunt wrote that "Jordan's songwriting is as astute as ever, and her exploration of love here is set to a rich palette of explorative strings and synths", rating the album 5 stars out of 5. Writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Marcy Donelson gave the album 3.5 starts out of 5, arguing that while ''Valentine'' represents a "bold musical step" for Jordan, it nevertheless "leaves some of her distinctiveness behind." Writing for ''

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'', John Amen also rated the album 3.5/5, concluding that "If ''Lush'' presented a snapshot of a particular mindset, a woman trapped in a psychological limbo, ''Valentine'' captures the blurry nature of an inquiry still in progress."

Accolades

Track listing

All tracks written by Lindsey Jordan.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Valentine'' liner notes. Musicians * Lindsey Jordan —

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

;

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Alex Bass — bass * Ray Brown —

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Alex Farrar — keyboards *

Katie Crutchfield Waxahatchee is an American indie music project, formed in 2010 by American singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield (born 4 January 1989), previously a member of P.S. Eliot. The band is named after Waxahatchee Creek, in Alabama, where Crutchfield g ...

—

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

on "Ben Franklin" * Kaitlin Grady —

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

on "Light Blue" and "Glory" * Stephanie Barrett — cello on "Mia" * Jocelyn Smith —

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

on "Mia" * Kim Ryan — viola on "Mia" * Liz Stahr — viola on "Mia" * Adrian Pintea —

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

on "Mia" * Anna Bishop — violin on "Mia" * Ellen Riccio — violin on "Mia" * Jeannette Jang — violin on "Mia" * Meredith Riley — violin on "Mia" * Treesa Gold — violin on "Mia" Production and artwork * Brad Cook – producer * Lindsey Jordan — producer * Alex Farrar —

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

; mixer * Tina Tyrell —

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

* Alexa Lanza — styling

Charts

References

External links

* {{Snail Mail (musician) 2021 albums Snail Mail (musician) albums Matador Records albums Indie rock albums