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Indie-rock star Snail Mail recants her hate for Crunchwrap Supremes and talks about her diss track Heat Wave.
Rolling Stone, NPR, and Stereo Gum have raved about indie-rock breakout artist Snail Mail (Lindsey Jordan). Her latest album Lush is being called one of the best albums of 2018. But apparently, Lindsey hates Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme and knows a thing or three about partying at “cool” bars, even though she is 19. YR Media’s Merk Nguyen and Nyge Turner confront Lindsey on these bold claims.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Check out the full conversation on YR Media’s Adult ISH podcast (episode 4 – Pro ISH).
Nyge: I’m going to ask you probably the most important question of this interview…You had some people pretty upset here in the office about some comments that you made about a Taco Bell classic. You said, “F*ck Crunchwrap Supremes.” What’s up with that?
Lindsey: I guess that was a little bit of an overreaction for me — I retract that. My band loves Taco Bell and I just can’t eat it on the road.
Nyge: So what really inspired you to write Heat Wave?
Lindsey: That song is just like so specifically about a breakup that I had. I wrote it two weeks after and if you were to consult my friends at home, it is obvious who I’m talking about. It is like a snail mail diss track. I’ve since never written a song in that way and probably never will. I remember coming up with parts of it [while] fully clothed, sitting in my bathtub with no water in it.
Merk: So in the guitar-driven song Pristine, you’re singing about love and toward the end, you’re talking about some party we weren’t invited to…#TFTI Lindsey. It seems like there’s a story to this song…
Lindsey: It’s like a little ode to the monotony of adolescence and just being bored and sort of lovesick. It’s kind of like a sick joke and I’m making fun of myself. Obviously, I’m aware of the fact that falling in and out of love at 17 is going to happen. But it’s a really good reflection of exactly who I was at that time. I was stuck in high school and I was just partying all the time and having a hard time appreciating the simple aspects of life, which I now really love. I love being bored, going to parties, seeing my friends from home, and just sitting around.
It’s kind of like a sick joke and I’m kind of making fun of myself. Obviously, I’m aware of the fact that falling in and out of love at 17 is obviously going to happen. But it’s a really good reflection of exactly who I was at that time.
Nyge: What is a Snail Mail party like?
Lindsey: I think my ideal party would be at a cool bar, but not the kind of bar that industry people take you to. Like a bar that’s cheap and trashy. No jerks allowed. Just a place with late-night tacos and free drinks.
Merk: So correct me if I’m wrong on this, but I read on some YouTube comment that one of your favorite songs is Let’s Find An Out?
Davey, our boss, says that this is one of his favorite songs because of the subtle yet complex guitar fingerpicking. Why is it your favorite?
Lindsey: It kind of came out of nowhere for me. Usually Snail Mail songs take a lot of planning and that song was just the most organic thing I’ve ever written. The meaning is also really personal to me and it’s not really as straightforward as the other ones. The guitar work is the kind of song I’ve wanted to make for a while, but didn’t really know where it would fit on the record.
Nyge: I’m curious: what was your first song like?
Lindsey: It was the song Pieces Of Me by Ashlee Simpson, but just different words. I think that might have been my first ever song [when I was around 7 years old]. I think I changed a couple lyrics…I never even realized that is what I was ripping off until a couple years later. I think the song was about waiting around for my friend to sleep over.
Merk: That’s a good one. That was the question back in the day. You just would never know.
Lindsey: Like are they going to come sleep over? Am I going to have to clean my room? Or am I just going to wait?