Snail Mail

With ‘Valentine,’ Snail Mail produces a masterwork of indie rock

Although you wouldn’t guess it based on the title alone, American singer-songwriter Snail Mail’s second album, “Valentine,” mostly covers love just as it begins to spoil. During the titular song, which is also the opening track on the album, Snail Mail, whose real name is Lindsey Jordan, sings, “So why’d you wanna erase me, darling valentine?”

Jordan has always sung about heartache. Her previous record, 2018’s “Lush,” features songs about unrequited love and rejection. Heartbreak is a common theme for many musicians, but both albums are masterworks of indie rock because of their ability to exhibit that experience in entirely new ways, sonically and lyrically.